The Golden Fox and its Kit
by balea070
Summary: Age 14- During a mission Naruto and Hinata get kidnapped by unknown force. Age 17- Pain is attacking Konoha demanding to collect the Kyubi's vessel-Only Naruto isn't the cheerful 14-year-old boy anymore. He is a warrior, a man, a father. Strong, Smart Naruto/Angst Naruto/Daddy Naruto
1. Naruto's return

**Warning:** Rated M for Violence, Sexual themes, implied Drug abuse, Suicidal behavior

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This story is inspired by **Dread Knight N7's **"**Father to a blond Hyuga**", but will NOT follow storyline. This is Angst/Hurt/Comfort story with Dark themes. It's NOT a remake or adopted fic.

No need to say Timeline, Storyline will divert from Canon.

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**The Golden Fox and its Kit**

**Naruto's Return **

* * *

"So Peace has finally deemed himself to arrive?"

Nagato asked, with a slight smirk. His body, linked to the Chakra transmitter, ached all over the loss of his Six Paths-

Especially the last one. The one he made with Yahiko's body.

He had put too much effort to make his friend's reminiscent remains perfect, powerful, Godlike; and still, somehow the Jinchuuriki of Kyubi managed to defeat him.

It was a joke. A horrible, laughable, joke that for reasons Nagato couldn't comprehend seemed to be reality.

"Are you the one behind all the attacks?" The vessel asked, "The _real_ one?"

Ah. So the Jinchuuriki _did_ suspect something and released the Chakra-pulse on purpose. Nagato had wondered if it had been just a fluke or if the Jinchuuriki actually knew infusing Chakra into the receiver would lead where Konan and Nagato stayed hidden. Now he had the answer. And he knew somehow, all of this was Jiraiya's doing.

Although there was something else that prodded his curiosity.

"Are you related to the Yondaime Hokage Uzumaki Naruto?"

Because even though the boy had been Jiraiya's most recent apprentice, the Jutsus he had used to fight the Six Paths were not strictly limited to the Toad Sage's usual arsenal. Now, Nagato remembered clearly, he was almost sure he had seen the Jinchuuriki use not only the Rasengan, but also combat seals including the Hiraishin. At the time the boy had managed to appear directly behind Deva Path, the body of Yahiko, Nagato had simply thought it to be a highly advanced Body Flicker Technique.

But no.

The Shinra Tensei he had performed repelled all kind of Ninjutsu and physical attacks. There was simply no way the Jinchuuriki could have reached Deva Path in 5 seconds in that distance. Unless the boy already planted the Yellow Flash's notorious marking kunai and simply teleported behind him.

The expression the Jinchuuriki wore to Nagato's question was answer enough.

"He was my father." The blond replied with a shrug, "Uzumaki was my mother's family name."

So was his, Nagato absent mindly thought for a second, but didn't wish to linger on that fact. Instead he grimaced and sneered at the boy who became a human sacrifice in the hands of his own flesh and blood.

"As I thought. You Shinobi of Konoha are simply disgusting. Always talking big about peace and truce, but in the end you show your true face. Nothing more than ignorant hypocrisy, egoistic betrayal. Just look at you Uzumaki Naruto,"

Nagato smirked condescendingly,

"You, the son of the famous Yondaime Hokage, sacrificed by the hands of your own father, branded as a demon, beaten, hated, despised by the whole village...and instead of protecting you as best as they could, they simply deliver the Jinchuuriki on silver platter-or did Jiraiya stuff your head with too much of his delusional heroism? Is that why you came to fight me alone?"

"SHUT UP! The only backstabbing bastard here is you!" the Jinchuuriki suddenly yelled, clearly shaken in turmoil of anger. Nagato could see the blaze in those brilliant blue eyes, nothing innocent but burning in absolute pain - he berated himself not realizing the vessel's connection with Namikaze Minato before, the semblance was uncanny. Granted, he had only seen the man once from far but it still left an imprint, like most powerful shinobi did. Especially those azure eyes were exactly the same, the same brilliant shade, but also because like his father's those eyes didn't belong to a naive child playing hero, but to a veteran warrior who had enough his share of war.

Pain. That was what everything was about, wasn't it? The pain of losing someone special, the pain that everlasts?

"Ah, I see you are hurt because of Jiraiya," Nagato mused aloud after a second and twitched his lips just to irritate, "Yes. Something we have in common. Our good old sensei, wasn't he?"

The blond Jinchuuriki seethed in fury at the careless mention of a possible 'link' they might or might nor have in his sensei. Nagato realized how the boy's fist twitched every time he mentioned their teacher's name. A very sore point, indeed.

"Why did you do it?" The Jinchuuriki finally chocked out and Nagato just cocked an eyebrow as best as he could with his rather paralysed face structure.

"Aren't you going to revenge his death? Isn't that the reason you came out of your hiding place?" The red haired man asked instead.

"Surely you must hate me. Now that you see me before you...I saw the bloodlust in your veins. There are not many who can emit that kind of killer intent-I believed it to be the Kyuubi but now I must correct my former observation. It was _you_. You want your revenge, don't you?"

Naruto gritted his teeth but after deep breath still managed to keep his calm. Konan tensed as she watched the boy, always protective of her last friend.

"If you kill Nagato and get your revenge, that won't change anything," she said, unable to hold back.

"Don't tell me what will and what will not be!" the Jinchuuriki snapped menacingly.

The Akatsuki members could feel his fury physically slicing their skin. For a brief moment Nagato thought that the Kyuubi would come free;

but before the malicious Chakra forced them to attack, the Jinchuuriki again focused his gaze to the red haired man. His whiskermarks had gone feral, his claws now drawing blood from breaking own skin, but still he didn't lounge to bring the last blow.

"I want to know _why,_" the Jinchuuriki all but growled, "Tell me."

"Why I killed him?"

Naruto firmly shook his head once, before his blue eyes bored into the Rinnegan.

"No. Why did you change?"

That was not something Nagato thought the blond would ask. Not really realizing the stunned expression of his opponent Naruto continued to talk.

"I know who you are. Hard to miss with those weird eyes," the blond said in rigid stance, "Ero-Sennin, Jiraiya...He used to tell me stories about you. You and a guy named Yahiko and a girl called Konan. Three students from Ame, someone he thought would become the Child of Prophecy and bring true peace."

Nagato felt the dark blue haired woman next to him stir uncomfortably. Naruto was however too much engulfed in his own thoughts to notice.

"When we fought, you or the orange haired corpse talked about peace you wish to bring by inflicting pain. Why do you even bother? You killed Jiraiya, the one who taught you the meaning of peace in the first place. You murdered half of my village, you destroyed my house, my home. With Konoha down, other countries will see this as a chance and start another war. You are a destroyer not a peace bringer. So why do you even bother to justify your war?"

For the first time, Nagato felt anger stirring in his guts. After Yahiko's death the powerful Rinnegan user had never been shaken with emotions, it only had been the matter of his goals, to accomplish it. But now, this seventeen-year-old dared to come and talk about things he couldn't possibly understand? The suffering of a small village trapped between the greed of bigger nations, the endless pain only a war could bring?

"I am not starting the war, that is something that simply lies in human nature," Nagato said trying to regain his calm, "Human beings are ignorant, malicious and egoistic. There cannot be harmony, only fear that stops war-after all, your father knew this well, didn't he? After massacring hundreds of Iwa-nin in one day?"

The Fourth Hokage earned his truce with Iwa after he singlehandedly neutralized the enemy force; it was such a great and yet horrible deed that the Tsuchikage declared defeat although every last one of Iwa hated the Yellow Flash with every fiber of their bodies. Sometimes fear overruled hatred; that was precisely what Nagato hoped he could bring to this world.

The invasion to Konoha, Nagato thought, was no different. In his mind, this was just another step to temporary peace.

"There's nothing you can do. Jiraiya once told me 'When people get hurt, they learn to hate. When people hurt others, they become hated and are racked with guilt. But knowing that pain allows people to be kind. Pain allows people to grow. And how you grow is up to you. You know pain, you think about it, and the answer you find is up to you.' ...Jiraiya hadn't found his answer, but I have," the red haired man finished and looked down to the blond. "Have you?"

When asked during the battle the Jinchuuriki, he hadn't replied. The boy had heard it, Nagato was sure, but more in worry of his fallen comrades and trying to protect the pathetic rest of them, he hadn't given an answer. That was the only reason Konan hadn't already attacked the boy- because Nagato was curious. As a man of power, as lonely survivor, as a student of the Great Toad Sage. He wondered what the other candidate of the Prophecy would say.

Standing in front of his teacher's murderer, Naruto looked thoughtful. He didn't scream he wasn't going to answer to an enemy, he didn't say he would kill Nagato to bring peace to his precious village. The Jinchuuriki actually seemed to ponder about his answer and that made it all the more interesting, although Nagato couldn't imagine it making any difference.

"You said I would want revenge right?" Naruto asked after awhile, "You said that because you realized how much...how much Jiraiya meant to me."

Nagato didn't answer but the Jinchuuriki didn't care and went on.

"I never had a real father and after everything I went through...he was the only one who could help, who could get through the shell of pain I had created. He taught me what it means to be a true shinobi, but also what it means to be a parent. And do you know what parents first think of when they have a chance to make a difference?" he asked, suddenly there was a glint of fierceness in his eyes. Nagato couldn't fathom its origin and it made him uncomfortable.

"They think about their children's future." Naruto said calmly, answering his own question.

"They think about the happiness their children deserve, they think about all the good things in life their children hopefully can have. That's why I will never stop fighting the likes of you, I will never stop to believe in true peace, the peace Jiraiya believed in."

Then the fierceness went back to something Nagato did know; ire and detest.

"I hate you Nagato. I hate you because you took someone from me who meant so much. I owed him my life and now I will never be able to repay him. And you're right, it fucking _hurts_. I wish to burn you alive and I wouldn't be a bit sorry."

"Then why don't you?"

Nagato couldn't help but ask, unable to turn his gaze from the blond, who had so much power just boiling inside him but still somehow managed to hold back his killer intent. The azure eyes had turned to bright orange, the pupils crossing their lines. Nagato had never seen anything like this before, the immense power radiating from the Jinchuuriki was breathtaking.

"I will never forgive you. I just can't. Jiraiya, my Godfather, he meant so much to me and he certainly didn't deserve to die by the hand of his former student. ...But I am able to choose the future instead of a lingering past. That's what the Tsuchikage really did, you know. He didn't crumble in fear of my father, because a shinobi would always choose to fight their fears not surrender. No, he chose to have truce because he knew that was the best way his shinobi and their children could have a future. I hate Iwa for my own reasons, but still such decision is something I can understand. You see, people aren't really that much different."

"...Is that your answer? Thinking about the future? Disregarding everything that happened in the past?"

Naruto nodded. Nagato realized the Jinchuuriki was touching his hitai-ate, not the symbol of leaf but the kanji "忍", which meant Shinobi but at the same time enduring. The red-haired man suddenly understood that Naruto had changed the letter on the metal himself, whether as token of his own suffering or to remind himself that a true Shinobi beared pain and still fought his battles.

The blond wasn't dashing out answers because he never witnessed true pain; he was saying it despite. Nagato could only guess what the other had experienced, but from the information he had gathered through the years, it could be anything but bright and happy.

Nagato felt shock.

"How can you believe in it? How can you see the reality and still believe in Jiraiya's words? Is the future that only exists in your mind so much worth?" he whispered more to himself than to anyone else, but the blond Jinchuuriki answered regardless.

"It's not an absolute solution," Naruto said with a collected voice, "There isn't one. You can't change people in one day and you are wrong if you believe one man alone can make that much difference. But the faith Jiraiya had in peace was given to you and my father, and then from my father to me; and one day I will pass it down to my son. So even if I don't succeed, my son will carry the Will to the next generation! It's a long term project, Nagato, but not impossible and surely not delusional. It will happen, I have no doubt."

Nagato watched the boy-no, man- in front of him and acknowledged the truth; Uzumaki Naruto truly believed every word he said. Endured the pain like a true Shinobi and still fought to overcome his fears, believing in a better future. Somehow it reminded him of himself at that age, when Yahiko was still alive and Jiraiya was writing his first novel.

_"I just want to protect them. No matter how much pain it causes."_

he had said to the man,

_"I will lift the curse. If any kind of peace exists, I'll grab hold it and never let it go. I refuse to quit."_

Which was so similar and close to what Naruto put his faith in.

_"You see, people aren't really that much different."_

_"They think about their children's future."_

_"That's why I will never stop fighting the likes of you, I will never stop to believe in true peace, the peace Jiraiya believed in."_

_"What's important isn't the way to bring peace, but the inner strength to believe that it's possible!"_

_"One day I will pass it down to my son. So even if I don't succeed, my son will carry the Will to the next generation!"_

_"It will happen, I have no doubt."_

...Naruto was right. He _had_ changed.

And wasn't it just like something Jiraiya would do, making him to realize that by a person whose name was "Naruto", the protagonist in a novel who quoted word for word what once was Nagato's own words?

At that moment Nagato did not see the blond Jinchuuriki, but his younger self, staring in the eyes of the creature he had become.

Was this the reason why he had lost to the blond? Because he lost himself on this road to be eaten by pain?

Nagato, the Rinnegan-wielder, felt for the first time after Yahiko's death, truly lost. He couldn't see his own future as clear as the Jinchuuriki was able to. Because no matter how much he tried to deny it, Uzumaki Naruto was powerful enough to end him here an now. With Konan's ability they would manage to survive, but that wouldn't change the fact they had failed their initial mission. A mission, he was now not sure he wanted to complete at all costs anymore.

"You have a son?"

Nagato asked breaking a long silence. That was not in his knowledge and made him wonder as he had caught the subtle hints. The blond looked startled for a second but soon regained his composture.

"Yes, I have."

He didn't say it with suspicion nor with shame, although Nagato knew he was only seventeen, nearly a child himself. But watching the pride shining in the blue eyes made Nagato forget all the doubt that formed. He was telling the truth, for a shinobi the blond was so honest it was refreshing and startling at the same time.

"You are willing to stop your hatred for his future?" he asked once more and Naruto bit his lips before answering.

"Not only for him, but also because of him. He doesn't know what it means to ache and I'm fine with that."

Nagato closed his eyes. The Chakra exhaustion made it difficult to breath and the long talk didn't do anything to help the condition. But it was worth it, Nagato thought and opened his eyes once more.

"You are like me, but also different. You truly live up to your name don't you Uzumaki Naruto?"

"Naruto isn't Naruto if he loses his faith."

the blond shrugged and watching the slight confusion, he held out a book in his right hand - The Tales of the Utterly Gutsy Ninja. Nagato never read it, but knew the blond was named after it because of Jiraiya, although he had conveniently forgotten about it since he no longer believed in Jiraiya's words.

"You let a book decide your fate?" he tried to sneer, but Naruto just shrugged again not at all offended. Instead there was a warm longing in his eyes, that shimmered even in the darkness.

"The book is a guide Ero-sennin left for me as is my name. Whether I wish to comprehend it or stay ignorant, is my choice."

"...I see."

Nagato said, but he couldn't stop the feeling that, that the book and the shinobi who was trying to live up to its words, was part of his own making; something he himself had dismissed because he couldn't stand feeling his pain.

"I have lost." Nagato said abruptly, "Not to you, Uzumaki Naruto. But to myself."

When the blond didn't open his mouth to retort, Nagato simply continued.

"This doesn't change that peace of big countries is built on the sacrifices of the little countries, or the fact that each mission Konohagakure undertakes funds the war. Ignorance doesn't make one innocent. Your current peace is nothing more than violence towards us."

Nagato once more closed his eyes, but this time not because of fatigue, but because he remembered Jiraiya's last words.

_"Rather than guiding the world through pain, I wish you'd risen above your suffering, and used the strength given to you to show the way."_

_"We haven't spent that much time together...But still, I believed in you."_

After all this time, was Jiraiya right?

The Child of Prophecy Jiraiya was meant to lead, the Saviour of the World Yahiko trusted to be in him, and the Faith he himself once held so close...

Nagato opened his eyes and saw his own legacy- believing in a better future.

He knew what he had to do.


	2. Welcome to Konoha, again!

**Welcome to Konoha, again!**

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"Yo." The silver-haired Jounin said as he piggy-backed his sensei's son. Naruto who had trouble walking, leaned in gratefully and without an once of shame.

"So you really came through, huh?"

Naruto laughed flatly but then decided to play along, "Well, are you still a corpse?"

"Ouch."

Kakashi slapped his cheeky student's ass, making Naruto nearly jump out his skin.

"Hey! You can't blame me for asking! That orange guy was pretty much dead for _years_ and still nearly kicked my ass!"

Kakashi thought about it and decided to let it slide. Secretly, he was proud of his student's achievement, although he couldn't really take the credit.

Naruto had been kidnapped at the age of 14, and although he managed to escape a year later, it was not until his sixteenth birthday Kakashi had been allowed access to his blond student. From the whole Team 7, he was the only one who had seen Naruto in three years he was missing, and he fully understood why.

"How is Arashi-kun? Any teeth yet?"

Naruto laughed again but this time it was an amused, happy laugh.

"He eats like a normal person now. Everything I eat he just has to eat to. You wouldn't believe how much fuss he makes when I try giving him more baby food."

"Well, nobody likes to be a baby." Kakashi tried to reason in his mock-serious voice which made Naruto just grin at the thought of his two-year-old son.

"He will always stay my baby, Kaka-sensei, no matter what."

"Even when he grows up?"

"Even when he gets all wrinkly and old. I'm gonna call him my little baby-boo in front of his grandchildren if I live that long."

At that Kakashi chuckled, the picture of an old Arashi being babied by an ancient Naruto playing in his mind.

But inwardly, he couldn't help but remember another man who said similar words to him, that no matter what happens Kakashi would always stay his student, and was silently awed by the fact how much Naruto had grown to resemble that man.

Only 3 years ago, Naruto had been a cheery teenager who was loud and full of energy- now Kakashi could only see a man, who fought his battles and survived.

He was saddened and proud at the same time.

"Are you going to talk to the Hyugas?" he asked to distract himself.

Naruto shifted uncomfortably behind his teacher and rubbed his face in tired manner. He gestured to be let down, something Kakashi complied without fight. They needed to talk about this, especially since Kakashi was the only confident Naruto had left in this village, since Tsunade was in coma and Jiraiya... Kakashi was the only one left so they settled to a short conversation.

With his simple mesh shirt and the long-sleeved red Haori that brought out the blond hair and azure eyes, Kakashi realized Naruto was indeed a Namikaze, the son of his teacher. With the loss of his baby fat and growth in height, his semblance to the Yondaime was undoubtful. Kakashi wondered how many of the village would be able to make the connection by simple looks alone.

"It's time, I guess, I mean I owe it to them. I avoided it long enough."

The blond rubbed his neck and shut his eyes as in pain. He still has flashbacks, Kakashi thought and sympathized. Kami knew he had his own demons.

"Naruto what exactly are you planning?"

"...I don't know, Sensei. I really don't. When Ero-sennin left for Ame, I didn't realize I would need to come back this early. Arashi is still only two, and I still haven't found out any concrete evidence of the traitor...I, I try to imagine what Hinata would want me to do, but...I can't let Arashi be in danger. I just can't. Especially with his condition."

"I understand." The Jounin simply said, and meant it. He didn't know all the facts what Naruto went through, but the outline of the events he heard from the Sannin was more than enough. He also had witnessed some of the blond's relapses, the blackouts and violent hyperventilation that were all too familiar to him. The only difference: Kakashi had been trained and practically volunteered to undergo such hardship of mental breakdown, whereas Naruto had not.

Arashi, the little blond bundle of joy was now Naruto's core and center, and Naruto would rather die than let his baby boy come to harm.

"Maybe I should talk to Tsunade-baachan first, you know? I really have no idea about clan politics," the Jinchuuriki mused out loud, not noticing the tiny flinch in Kakashi's body.

It was Katsuyu still hiding in Naruto's sleeve who spoke up.

"Naruto-kun, I am sorry but Tsunade-sama is currently in coma."

"...What?!"

The blond swirled around not noticing Katsuyu was trying her best to not fall out, until Kakashi caught his frantic gaze.

"What happened?! Is she alright?"

Kakashi had been briefly informed about the Fifth's situation. He leaned in, to catch the blond's shoulder and squeezed it gently.

"Calm down, Naruto. She isn't wounded, but the Chakra exhaustion she suffered was grand, so she needs to rest."

"But she will wake up?" The Jinchuuriki asked coming straight to the point Kakashi had tried to avoid. Unlike the boisterous child 3 years ago, Naruto had grown to read between the lines and hit where it stung the most. Kakashi sighed and let his shoulders sink. This Naruto would definitely know when he lied and his student's trust was something the copy-nin couldn't let sway in doubt.

"We don't know yet. I haven't got a full report but it seemed that only time would tell."

"...Fuck." was Naruto's only response, his fists trembling and frankly Kakashi couldn't help but agree. The blond focused his gaze at his feet, not daring to look in his sensei's eyes, one way he learned to control his anger.

Kakashi sighed again and firmly grabbed both his student's shoulder meeting his eyes.

"I am with you, Naruto. We will get through this."

"...yeah. I know, Sensei. Thanks."

When he finally looked up, Kakashi gave smile with his one visible eye, which was returned with a benevolent snort.

Both ninja started to make their way back to the village until they sensed a large gathering of people just waiting for them or better, for Naruto.

"What the-"

"Is it him?"

"Kami, that's him!"

"Naruto!"

"You saved us! Welcome back!"

"Our hero!"

Naruto, the well trained shinobi he was, instinctively stepped backwards only to be betrayed by his teacher who had no shame in pushing the blond into the crowds. The very confused teenager was immediately swooped away to the center and showered with praises he very much deserved.

"I told everyone in the village that Naruto defeated Pain," Katsuyu whispered, long having changed her spot from Naruto to Kakashi, and the silver-haired Jounin grinned as he saw a pink-haired Kunoichi punching and hugging their finally returned teammate at the same time.

"One step closer to his dream. I am proud of him."

Although Kakashi understood the reasons Naruto had stayed away from Konoha for so long, he thought there wasn't a better place the blond would fit in so perfectly. He met the eyes of some fellow Jounin, some happy, some in awe but also some who stared at the blond hero as if they were seeing a ghost. He couldn't help but crack a grin. The blush and awkward demeanor while rubbing his neck was just like the Yondaime used to handle praises; although being a genius his whole life, the man kept always a humble stance which made people love him all the more.

_Minato-sensei, your son truly lives up to your legend_, Kakashi thought fondly, _In fact, I believe it won't be long until he surpasses you. He already is on the right track._

Although the silver-haired Jounin didn't mingle into the crowds, his refined hearing catched few words Naruto and the others held.

"Where have you been all the years?"

"Is Pain truly defeated?"

Naruto answered some questions with tidbits of truth, something like he had been taken as apprentice of the great Toad Sage Jiraiya and was staying with him ever since, or that yes, Pain was indeed gone and would never come back. It was refreshing to see how the once loud boy could spin his tales that the important facts were left out but still the audience was satisfied, a trait no doubt Naruto had learned following Jiraiya's spy network.

People didn't stop talking but as the excitement of victory finally went down they started noticing the crater that was left of their village.

"What are we going to do now? Everything is gone..."

"Why would you say that?"

The blond Jinchuuriki asked brilliant blue eyes meeting the person who first spoke up. Naruto was furrowing his brows like the young boy he had been, as if he didn't understand what the others were groaning about.

"Konohagakure wasn't made by God, you know. It was built by people just like us. People who fought and survived. I bet this pretty much looks like how it used to be before the Shodaime and the clans arrived and started to build up a village. Well, although there must have been a little more green to name it _Leaf_ _village_ I suppose..."

Some people laughed, while others had small smiles on their lips and Naruto sheepishly rubbed his neck. But then he stood tall and held a firm look at his comrades. Whether they responded or not it was clear that the blond teenager was fully holding their attention. Naruto shrugged as if he was talking to friends about something simple as common sense.

"Anyways, houses can burn, walls can fall, but it's the Will that never dies as long there are people who believe in it. We don't have nothing, we have everything we need to start once more. And everyone will lend a hand, shinobi, civilian alike, because this is our village, our home, the very future our children will once live in."

Silence followed. Naruto didn't use any big words, didn't radiate thick, suffocating charisma, but still his words were heard by everyone because they were true. Naruto had spoken with so much conviction and trust that people simply couldn't find fault in it.

While the Fourth had been a gentle speaking warlord, Naruto seemed more like a friend, a comrade you wished to fight next in line. _Not yet Hokage level charisma_, Kakashi mused proud, _but definitely going there_.

"Tha-That's right! We can do this!"

A kunoichi shouted breaking the silence and was soon joined by others.

"Yeah! He's right! We will help!"

"We can collect the remaining woods, we will build up our village again!"

"What should we do first?"

At that, the intense gaze of people befell once more on the blond teenager. Naruto seemed to be taken aback by such eagerness especially since this was the first time so many people were actually willing to listen to him. Kakashi saw his student needed help and stood next to him. Naruto blinked a few times sharing a more bewildered look with his Sensei who was just creepily grinning before opening slowly his mouth.

"Uhm... How about more tents and food since I am tired and desperately need something to eat?"

"You missed Ichiraku's ramen, didn't you?"

Kakashi joked but was met with an enthusiastic outburst on the blond's part.

"Yeah! Kami, my mouth is watering! Nothing tastes better than good ol' Konoha style ramen!"

Now the survivors really started laughing. It was a happy, hopeful laugh, all caused by their blond hero, who not only saved them but also gave them a new Will of Fire. The flames he had spread all burned inside them, and it would never die out as long as wished it to stay.

"Hey, Kaka-sensei. You think we could go and see Baachan now?"

"Naruto-"

"I know she's in coma," the blond quickly added, "But I still want to see her, you know? Before I go and talk to Hiashi-san."

Azure eyes met the dark one, that didn't hold the typical slouch, but a calculating gaze. Finally Kakashi nodded and signaled Sakura to follow.

Sakura had been bursting with happiness to see her friend again, but was also hurt because he had been absent for so long. Nevertheless, she gladly chimed in and led the way to her shishou.

"So how have you been Naruto?" she tried making it sound as nonchalantly as possible, but when Naruto chuckled she couldn't help but blush. It was unbelievable how the scrawny boisterous boy had changed over the years, she couldn't help but keep taking glances of him. Naruto actually became _handsome_, which she didn't think was possible. But here he was, blond, blue-eyed, tanned lean muscle, quite tall and with an atmosphere Sakura couldn't decide why it made him downright alluring. _He feels...mature_, she guessed and was shocked by her own thinking.

"I've been to a lot of different places, Sakura-chan," Naruto said gently, "It was fun...mostly," he added with a thought.

"What places?"

"Cities, Countries and Suna on occasion. Especially after Akatsuki tried to kidnap Gaara... By the way I heard about Sasori, how you took him down! Good job!"

"Oh...Thanks, I, well...it was thanks to Chiyo-sama mostly..." Sakura blushed fiercely at the unexpected praise but Naruto just grinned at her. _He is actually staring _down _at me_, the pinkette kunoichi thought, realizing the height difference for the first time. At 14, they had been approximately the same eye-level, Sakura being one of the taller girls, Naruto being an obnoxious runt.

Time, however, seemed to have brought wonder to the blond male.

"Well, I heard that you've been fighting against another member of Akatsuki while we were retrieving the Kazekage...So I'll say you did a good job, too."

"Yeah...That was some irritating bastard...I couldn't finish him up though." Naruto grumbled clearly thinking about the fight. Sakura didn't know what to say, the old Naruto she might have scolded, punched or just talked enthusiastically over the old days, but with this more serious one, she was clueless how to proceed. One look at their sensei didn't help much either since he was already reading that perverted book of his.

...Really after all this chaos they went through today, could he not just lose or accidently misplace that damn book someway?

Sakura was ready to burn that trash with sheer eye contact alone, when suddenly the blond beside her came to a halt.

"Hey, mind if I go alone?"

Naruto asked, gesturing to the tent the Godaime was lying. Sakura looked at Kakashi who after some exchange of looks nodded giving approval.

"Shizune-san will be in there though," the pink-haired kunoichi said cautiously, wondering what the two men were privately communicating about-something about Pain perhaps?

"I just need a minute," Naruto shrugged and went in. Sakura watched as Shizune walked out a second later, clearly wanting to give Naruto space. Was Naruto that much close to her shishou? She knew of course it had been the blond who brought her back to Konoha in their first place, but she never understood their relationship except Naruto was unimaginably rude to the Hokage and Tsunade actually was fond of the boy.

After 10 minutes Naruto came out and gave a hug to Shizune. Shizune looked startled at first but then gently hugged him back.

"You have my kunai, Shizune-neechan?"

"Yes, Naruto-kun. Tsunade-sama taught me how to use it, too."

"Good, but I'm leaving a Kage Bunshin just in case. Feel free to use him yeah?" Naruto smiled a little mischievously and the dark-haired woman couldn't help but giggle with a blush.

"Oh I certainly will. I could always need a hand."

"You are signing me to a slave contract? How could you Boss?!" the Kage Bunshin cried poking his head out of the tent, which again brought laughter. Naruto didn't even deem to justify himself and shrugged in mock pompousness. But then something catched his eye and he turned to face Kakashi.

"You know where to find me, right?"

"Yes. Go Naruto. Stop stalling."

"'m not stalling," murmured the blond but anyone could see he was shifting uncomfortably on his feet. Then he finally took a deep breath and walked away.

"Uhm...What was that about?" Sakura asked not really understanding where Naruto was heading. Kakashi sighed and looked at his only female student.

"He is going to meet the Hyugas."

"Oh...Oh!" the pink haired kunoichi said then her eyes went wide in understanding. "It's because of Hinata isn't it-" but before she could say anything else, Kakashi put an abrupt stop to her words.

"Sakura. I should probably warn you, _do not_ talk about Hinata in Naruto's presence. It's needless to say he did not take her death very well."

Kakashi could see a moment of sadness and pity in the green eyes.

"He saw her dying didn't he?" she whispered and Kakashi inwardly wished for the thousandth time for the sake of his blond student that things would be that easy. Seeing a comrade die was always hard, but what Naruto lost during his captivity...The exact circumstances were never told to any of their comrades and Kakashi agreed Tsunade's decision to make Naruto's past 3 years as abstract as possible. After all he went through, Naruto didn't need pity or sympathetic coddling, but a sense of normalcy. The close friendship and dynamics the so called Konoha 12 shared would be a great help to the blond.

"The specifics are and will stay classified. Just don't ask him about it, don't talk about it. Treat him like you did 3 years ago. I think that would give him some firm ground to reacquaint himself with the village."

"...Hai, Sensei." Sakura nodded obediently but couldn't help herself secretly wondering what truly happened to her old teammate.

* * *

Naruto was instantly in eye-lock with Neji. It was weird to stare at those blank light violet eyes, that didn't belong to Hinata or his son. After the Chuunin Exam Naruto had earned the respect and acknowledgement from the stoic Hyuga, but since Neji was promoted six months later they didn't really have the time to bond as friends. But now, Naruto couldn't look at those eyes and think he had no relation to that man. He was part of _her_ family, the cousin she always held dearly, which meant now Neji was one of the people Naruto would protect.

Though the blond would rather bite his tongue than openly tell the other that, mainly because it would irritate the Hyuga prodigy's ego with serious backslapping.

"Naruto."

"Neji." the blond Jinchuuriki answered with a nod.

"I'm glad to see you back." Neji's face didn't betray any emotions but Naruto was by now used to read from their eyes. It mostly helped when you had a two-year-old little monster for a son who could pull the most adorable, innocent baby face whenever he liked after he utterly vandalized their room.

The thought of his energy bundle son made Naruto lose a bit of his stiffness. The tall blond rubbed his neck with the heel of his hand and grinned one of his fox-smiles.

"Yeah. It was a fun greeting. Just my luck to come home to meet some pierce-faced thugs in tasteless cloaks huh?"

At that Neji smirked, which was as good as a sincere laugh. Naruto smiled too but then put his hands in his pockets, his face looking more serious.

"Listen, Neji. I would like to catch up but first I would...I would like to speak with your uncle."

Neji's eyes narrowed in scrutinizing gaze and Naruto knew that the man was using his abilities to read the blond's body language. But since he was overall stiff and had his hands firmly buried in his pockets, there wasn't much information to gather. That didn't stop him from guessing though.

"Is it about Hinata-sama?"

Naruto just shrugged defensively, but the Hyuga seemed to understand regardless.

At last Neji gave the blond a small nod.

"I will take you to him. Our compound was heavily damaged by the attack but nearly everyone survived. Hiashi-sama and Hanabi-sama are currently organizing the clan members to help the other villagers."

"That's good to hear." Naruto said, while following Neji to a big tent where normally the proud estate of Hyuga would be standing. The blond immediately recognized the people feverously occupied in work as members of the Hyuga clan. It was clear this was where the Hyugas temporarily settled.

_Once a Hyuga always a Hyuga huh?_ Naruto thought absentmindedly, not realizing his presence was gathering quickly attention. He was so used to glares and hateful whispers over the years that he normally tuned everything out. Naruto just stood in his own thoughts totally unaware of the people trying to come closer at their saviour.

Neji, who luckily had more sense than that, didn't even give a glance before dragging the blond to the tent.

"Hiashi-sama, Uzumaki Naruto came to speak with you."

"...Let him in."

Apparently the head of the Hyuga was currently in discussion with his Elders. Naruto fidgeted slightly as he met the cool gaze of Hyuga Hiashi, the father of Hinata. After all these years the blond still had no idea how he should feel against the cold man, who seemed to be the reason of Hinata's low self esteem by repeatedly calling her a failure, but then in the end revealing himself as an uncle who did care about his nephew, contrary what Neji had believed after his father's death.

"Uzumaki Naruto. I heard you were responsible for defeating the culprit who dared to terrorize the village?"

The calm voice ripped the Jinchuuriki from his own thoughts. Naruto stammered a bit before he caught himself to answer.

"I...Yes, I did."

"I see." the man said and after a long look slightly bowed his head to a small nod.

"Then I have to thank you for saving my clan from a massacre. Although it will take time to rebuilt our home, our clan still lives and will thrive once more."

"Uh...yeah. You're welcome...I guess," Naruto managed to say until he sighed and finally decided to get over this.

"Not that I don't appreciate what you said, but could we talk in private? This is a very serious matter and I will not utter one word until we are alone. And when I say alone, I mean only you and I, Hiashi-san."

If the Hyuga was surprised by the sudden firmness of demand, he didn't show. He just exchanged one glance with the elders and with a mutual nod they were gone. Naruto didn't hesitate but placed privacy seals around their seats. They were the strongest he knew, something he had gathered from his mother's notes, tested and modified by Jiraiya and himself. Even he knew logically that the man died, it still stung horribly and sometimes just seemed like a dream. Naruto touched his bandaged forearms and furrowed his eyebrows giving a grim look.

It was Hiashi's voice that brought him back to reality.

"What is that serious matter you wished to talk about, Uzumaki Naruto?"

Naruto could feel his throat clench painfully; he understood the necessity of this conversation and yet he felt dread tying the string in his heart. He didn't know how Hiashi would react to the news and that made his paranoid mind race into near madness.

"...I, I brought her body back, Hiashi-san."

An eery silence followed. Naruto didn't want to meet the man's eyes, _Hinata_'s eyes, undoubtfully staring at him with contempt and fury. He knew it was his fault, he knew he deserved to be hated and spat at, no matter how many times his Godfather tried to convince him otherwise. Naruto knew he was a failure. Now he had her direct kin's eyes to deliver the final judgement.

"They said it was burned during your escape." Hiashi whispered, not concealing the disbelief bubbling beneath the facade of utter calmness. Hinata used to do that, Naruto recalled, when she caressed his hair and tended his burning wounds at nights. No matter how fatal and gruesome the scars on his body looked, Hinata always managed to keep a cool yet gentle face, never turning her gaze away.

Naruto bit his lips and squeezed his eyes.

"No. She...she was hurt badly by the time I got to her. Her body...I...I didn't want anyone to see her in that state so I took her."

"You took her." Hiashi said, his eyes never leaving the blond in front of him. "You...took her." He said once more, as if repeating it would give him a better understanding what exactly the other man was trying to convey with his words. Naruto felt obliged to say something but in the end settled with a small nod.

"Yes."

Hiashi just stared at the blond. Then, for the first time his stoic mask contorted into something vicious and pure fury.

"You dare to come and say you took my daughter's body? You would dare?!"

Before Naruto could do something, Hiashi grabbed the younger man by his collars and seethed through his teeth. The veins on his temple were turning black, a sign that the Hyuga was trying to reign his anger at all cost but not really succeeding. When Naruto felt the killer intent aiming for his heart he shoved the man away from him; now his own eyes were stinging as they were holding back tears.

"We couldn't even bury her properly!" Hiashi yelled, the thought of the elders denying his first-born a place in the family grave still embedded in his mind, a Hyuga without the Byakugan was not a Hyuga, especially a main-house Hyuga without a body did not have a place to rest within kin. They were convinced Hinata had spilt all the secrets of their doujutusu, although the scrolls that were delivered to the Hokage a year later suggested otherwise.

His thoughts were clouded with the memories of his twin, the brother who died for him, his throat-slit body left to be experimented on by savages. Because he knew, 3 years ago, the moment the Hokage notified him of the abduction, that was exactly what happened to his child, too. Sometimes at nights in solitude, he would lie in the darkness, thinking all the horrendous things his daughter must have endured until meeting a violent death.

But Naruto, who didn't know what was on the Hyuga's mind, yelled back, his own wounds still so fresh he couldn't stop from bleeding.

"I couldn't just stand her look like that okay?! I just couldn't stand to see her hurt until the end! I JUST COULDN'T!"

Hiashi was yanked back by the shout and narrowed his eyes, the words leaving his mouth purposefully molded to bring out pure maliciousness.

"And why, pray tell, would you even care? You survived, didn't you? You came out alive, you with your little demon in your guts while my daughter burned and was tortured-"

"I LOVED HER!"

Naruto all but screamed. Hiashi was taken aback by the power the younger was emitting, it was not the Kyuubi's, no, but still so thick and fierce that momentarily stole his ability to speak. Naruto didn't miss the chance.

"I FUCKING LOVED HER MORE THAN ANYTHING IN THIS FUCKED UP WORLD! I WOULD HAVE DIED FOR HER OVER AND OVER AGAIN! I STILL WOULD IF IT MEANS SHE COULD COME BACK!"

It took a moment before Hiashi regained his senses by the Chakra outburst. But when he started to comprehend what the blond just confessed, his eyes widened just a bit. He didn't know what to say so he kept his silence, which returned also Naruto's senses until the Jinchuuriki broke down in nervous chuckles. The boy was trembling in violent, uncontrolled emotions.

"But...it can't be that way, can it? Me dying doesn't change anything. I, I should have done more, I know. I fucked up. I was just too weak to protect her and god I hope she forgives me one day...But I already know I will never forgive myself. She died because of me. She died because I was useless and she...she still loved me. Even though I never deserved it, she somehow did."

When the blond ended his rant with a small whisper Hiashi rubbed his temple. Anger and pain still lingered and pulsed through his veins, but his entire life consisted of restraint and composing emotions. This was the second time in his life he lost control, the first being when his brother volunteered to die for him. It wouldn't do any good to throw more blows at the boy, not when said boy was the hero who saved the entire village including his clan.

"I want to see her." he said instead and Naruto nodded albeit reluctantly. In his regained calmness Hiashi could sense a mixture of possessiveness as well as deep sorrow.

He cocked one eyebrow when Naruto brought out a long sealing scroll and gently placed it on the ground. Although Konoha had the most extensive knowledge of Fuinjutsu due to its marital alliance with Uzushiogakure, he had never seen such a complex design. Naruto's body language showed nothing but skillful movements.

"This is a transport seal," the blond explained while charging the seal with his Chakra, "It's linked to a hiding place I found. I, I kept her there because there was a flower field just in front...and she wanted a house with a flower garden like her mother's you know?"

Naruto mumbled more to himself than anybody else and before Hiashi could respond, a coffin made out of crystal appeared out of nowhere. Hiashi could do nothing more than stare in surprise─before he slowly moved forwards embracing his mind to prepare the unavoidable.

However whatever the head of Hyuga had expected, this was certainly not it.

"...She...You said she was hurt yet I see no scars. What have you done?"

The coffin was filled with vibrant flowers, just like the wood holding the crystal lid was carved in beautiful script, _seals_, the Hyuga noted, and inside all of this surreal surrounding was lying his beautiful daughter with a peaceful face. She looked so much like her mother, his late wife, that it was more painful than ever too watch her eternal sleep. _What have you done?_ the Hyuga thought again but the blond didn't even bother to look up, his eyes only fixed on his lover. She didn't look any different from the last time he had seen her, which made his heart flutter as well as drown in grief. It took him a few minutes before he could actually croak some words to the stunned father of his beloved.

"...When I got out I had this crazy idea that I could first heal her body and summon her spirit back or something. Like Orochimaru did in our Chuunin Exam with the Shodaime and Nidaime you know?"

"..." Hiashi stared but Naruto just carelessly shrugged.

"So I begged Jiraiya to teach me some Healing Jutsu and Fuinjutsu and started kind of patching up her wounds. When Jiraiya found out, he was furious. Because even if I had somehow succeeded to summon Hinata's soul, I would have broken her.

See, you can't really bring the dead alive. You can call back those who linger, just like Pain did, but never those who have completely crossed to the other side. If you break that, chances are the said soul shatters and ceases existing or contorts into something that is twisted and vile. Jiraiya forbade me to see her again until I was in my right mind. He probably thought I lost it completely or on the verge of it anyways. By then I was drinking, regularly getting in brawl fights, cutting down my own Chakra just to get beaten..." Naruto trailed off. now with a face full of shame,

"I, I think you could call it some kind of mental meltdown. Jiraiya said he expected that kind of lash out after what I went through, but I think he never expected it to be that bad. I just couldn't think straight when I wasn't drinking or high on pain killers. Jiraiya used to call it 'being an obnoxious little shit' though." Naruto laughed mirthlessly thinking about his mentor, teacher and Godfather.

It was a wonder Jiraiya had not given up on him although seeing what had become of his student. Without the Toad Sage to guide him into the light again, Naruto was sure he would have died lying in a wet ally in puke and blood.

"...Why are telling me all this?" Hiashi asked carefully. He still couldn't place his own feelings to the blond, but seeing his soft smile while watching over his daughter reminded him too much of himself; he had been heart-broken after his wife's death, the only time he defied the decision of the elders without reason was when they tried to get him to remarry again. They wished for a male heir, but Hiashi couldn't just take another woman to be his wife. That was also the reason why he had been so harsh to his children, and cold to his brother's only child-they all were in threat for one reason or another.

"You said Jiraiya-sama forbade you to see her again until you were healed. Why didn't you come back sooner?"

The Uzumaki boy was abducted while on the same mission as his daughter, until he somehow managed to escape after a year. That probably meant he, too, had been tortured, and such things could leave endless scars in body and soul.

Normally a shinobi who had been under the influence by foreign entity that long would be taken to the T&amp;I department, either to be questioned or to start the process of mind-healing. But it seemed in Naruto's case, the Toad Sage had burdened himself to help the broken child out.

"Because, you see there is something else you need to know," Naruto said now looking straight into Hiashi's eyes, not once intimidated by the Byakugan, "when I broke down like that, I didn't just fail Hinata. I also failed someone very important to both of us. She loved him until her last breath and I...I failed both of them horribly. I try my best to make up now but-" he stopped mid-sentence and led out a sigh.

"I'm bad at this. It's better when I show you, I guess." With that the blond nicked his thumb and pressed the bloody finger on the ground.

"**Kuchiyose no Jutsu!**"

With a small pop and white smoke a small toad with a beard stood between the two human.

"Naruto! It's good to see you, boy. What do you need?"

Naruto smiled at his Senjutsu teacher, glad to see him alive once more. In his time in Myobokusan he learned to appreciate the toad's company, as well as the others in the mountain.

"Hey Hukasaku-jiji. Would you bring me Arashi-kun?"

Hukasaku cocked one bushy eyebrow but then noticed the other human being in this room and formed a small 'o' with understanding.

"He's with the young Gama brothers now but I'll get him. Hold on."

He popped away, and popped up once more, only this time, he wasn't alone.

The toad was holding a small toddler blond as sunlight two whisker marks on each cheek and with eyes milky violet.

Naruto saw the shock in Hiashi's eyes and cradled his son tightly to his chest.

"Hiashi-san. Meet Uzumaki Arashi. Your grandson."

* * *

**A/N**: yes. Hinata is dead. She will not miraculously revive from the dead. That's why this story isn't Romance but Family/Angst/Comfort. But she will have immense influence throughout the story, and there will be no other pairing involving Naruto.


	3. The Marriage

**The Marriage**

* * *

Hyuga Hiashi was not a man who was easily shocked into silence. His entire upbringing prepared him to be acquainted to human emotions before they themselves even knew it, but that made it even more easier to keep his calm stance. After all he went through, the war, deaths of his closest family, eradication of his entire clan (although only for a short time), the blond shinobi still managed to stun the head of Hyuga regardless.

The number 1 unpredictable ninja in Konoha indeed.

"Uzumaki Naruto. Are you telling me that ...Hinata, my 14-year-old daughter, gave birth to this child?" He asked and knew his voice was detached and cold. He saw the slight flinch in the blond's shoulder but he didn't care. Hiashi still couldn't truly connect his shy obedient teenaged daughter to the at least one-year-old toddler now sound asleep in the Jinchuuriki's arms. Although the cherubic face reminded him painfully of the small girl his daughter had been, Hiashi ignored the tug in his heart to get his answers.

Naruto gently pried a chubby hand clinging to his necklace and touched the soft palm with his finger.

"He was the only thing that kept us both warm in that hell." he said bluntly, and met Hiashi's eyes. Although he wasn't really looking at the Hyuga, but staring at something deep, coldness that felt like the abyss.

"You were right when you said your daughter burned and was tortured. In fact we both were. Those bastards were the most vile, inhuman creatures I've ever met. It took me just three month of torture until they nearly broke me down, but it was always Hinata who gave me strength to fight. She was...she was so strong Hiashi-san. You wouldn't believe how strong. And when she realized she was pregnant...She never quit fighting for us. She was just as afraid as me and hurt, but she never gave up. There were more women like her, you know, in that camp. More people with Kekkei Genkai or some impressive genetics, who were older and stronger than both of us. But in the end, Hinata was the only one who could keep her baby alive."

Hiashi couldn't breathe. It was hard not to imagine what his daughter must have gone through, because that was exactly what he had expected when she was declared MIA. Naruto just confirmed the suspicion he had all these years. His daughter, his first child, abducted to be bred and experimented on like a common livestock. Fury boiled in his blood, the Chakra in his eyes and fingers twitching. He told himself it was pride that was hurt, because of a Hyuga wronged by unworthy savages, but silently knew it was the wrath of a father who was bereft of his young too early, too soon.

Hiashi of course had heard from the Godaime that the blond massacred all of the members in that 'camp' in his rampage as he escaped and hunted down the rest soon after, but now had a more clear understanding what triggered the Jinchuuriki to lose himself completely into destruction. The blond child, his daugther's death...Hiashi could practically see the Jinchuuriki breaking down and lose control. But instead of confirming his theory with the younger man, he simply stated his second observation keeping a stone hard face.

"You admire her." The trembling voice Hiashi heard as Naruto retold his story from his memory held a deep emotion of awe and love; the boy truly believed his daughter had been strong, stronger even than the Jinchuuriki himself.

Naruto tilted his head but answered without hesitation.

"Yes, I do. I love her as a woman but I admire her as a human being. She is the strongest person I've ever met. Arashi, my son... At that time he was just a sign of hope for me, just something good I could hold on until my pain finally ceased. But not to Hinata. Hinata loved him from the start. I don't know if it is a mother thing or simply Hinata's thing, but she loved him with all her heart from the moment she knew of his existence."

Naruto saw the older man trying to grasp the whole revelation. It was much, he knew, but he didn't see another way to proceed. He saw how the Hyuga drifted his eyes to the small body of the toddler to the beautiful girl lying in a bed of eternal flowers; the blond didn't wish to interrupt the older man's thoughts.

But then he felt a small tug on his finger and looked down, to meet the round eyes of his son.

"...Daddy?"

Naruto couldn't help but smile. Arashi was a perfect mixture of both him and Hinata, although his eye form resembled Namikaze Minato's, his own father. The boy had inherited the straight nose of Naruto, Hinata's rosy cheeks and the cute plump lips. Even with his pupil-less light purple eyes, which could be scary when not used to, the small baby had proven himself more than in one account to be the perfect women-magnet.

...Not that Naruto particularly had been eager to find out what effects his two-year-old had to the opposite gender; by now he was used to kick Ero-Sennin's ass for using his son as bait. And that bastard did it every time they visited a mildly populated city.

"Hey, little guy. Had a nice nap?"

Naruto chuckled lightly as his little boy yawned still half-asleep. After all, it was nap time for the toddler.

"'m sleepy." Arashi babbled in mixture of actual words and baby gibberish, but Naruto still understood.

"I know. You played with Gamakichi didn't you?"

"Gama-chan?"

"He lets you call him 'chan'?" Naruto cocked an eyebrow but Arashi, now awake, gave a happy smile. He hadn't seen his Daddy for a whole day and that was in his baby-mind something close to forever. But now that Daddy was here again the little toddler was satisfied.

"Pwway wi Gama-chan!" the boy chirped, hugging his father's neck with his tiny arms. Naruto hugged him back giving a big kiss on his son's forehead, but didn't miss the gaze of Hiashi who was watching the display in silence.

Noticing his son was slowly warming his in-built engine before becoming the energy-bundle, the older blond turned his child to face the Hyuga.

"Ne, Ara-kun. Do you know who that is?"

Although he kept his eyes on his son, his senses were on hight alert keeping track of Hiashi's movement. Naruto didn't know how the older Hyuga would react to his young daughter's secret offspring, especially fathered by a man like him. Naruto knew the Hyugas never had a high opinion of him, thinking him vulgar and a menace to the village, and couldn't wrap his mind around the fact that such image had changed abruptly just because he managed to defeat Pain.

If Hiashi made one derogative remark towards his son, he would forcefully erase the man's memory and stuff his mind with horrors of his own private hell. Hiashi was important because Hinata thought him important, but for Naruto his little baby would always come first.

"Mommy's eyes!" the small boy suddenly exclaimed, the awe evident in his voice. Arashi had never seen someone with eyes like his before, his Daddy's were blue, 'Raiya-jiji's brown, and the toads either yellow or orange. Daddy had told him he had Mommy's eyes, so he believed Mommy gave him her eyes before going to heaven. He missed her deeply, but didn't understand that so he just cried sometimes thinking of soft kisses on his temple. But now another person had Mommy's eyes too and that both scared and excited the little boy.

"Daddy, Daddy! Mommy's eyes!" he bounced in his father's strong arms, a small finger pointing accusingly.

Naruto couldn't help but laugh. His son had the same amount of curiosity he had as a young child, but while negligence and contempt slowly dried out that curiosity streak, his baby would never have to worry about that. Although Naruto already dreaded all the "Why"s Arashi started asking, he would never discourage him from it.

"He...is very energetic." the Hyuga who kept silent, slowly stepped a little closer not really touching the child but close enough to have a close inspection. _Probably wonders whether he has the Byakugan_, Naruto thought avoiding the times he had catched Ero-Sennin trying to activate his son's eyes so he could take a peek into the women onsen. Naruto desperately hoped such perverted influence at this young age didn't damage his son too much.

"He has a lot of Chakra that needs to get out of his system," the blond answered instead, holding firm to the boy who was now wriggling his way out of his Daddy's grip. Hiashi followed every motion of the small blond but replied with a stern voice.

"Having much Chakra doesn't necessarily mean a hyperactive child."

If Naruto didn't catch the curiosity in the man's eyes, he would have sneered. Children were supposed to be hyperactive. That made them _children_. But then, Arashi was a special case with reasons.

"No, normally it doesn't. But Arashi has Uzumaki-scale Chakra coils. They are large from birth. Jiraiya told me when he starts activating his Byakugan he would more calm down. I don't know how good his eyes will be but he will certainly have the longest duration from your clan."

And sensing a doubtful look Naruto let Arashi stand on the table and gestured the Hyuga to come closer.

"Here. Have a look if you don't believe me."

Hiashi cocked an eyebrow but did it nevertheless. As he activated his Byakugan though he realized what the blond had meant with 'Uzumaki-scale Chakra coils'. They were undeveloped, of course, and had currently no real use except for instinctive circulation, but he had seen enough children to realize the potential. Having a large Chakra reserve didn't mean a powerful Byakugan, but it mattered in stamina and the length the Byakugan user could keep his eyes activated. With the right amount of Chakra control, the boy could probably continue the Juuken for hours without breaking a sweat.

The boy would certainly thrive in Kaiten, the main branch style Taijutsu, since releasing a large amount of Chakra would never be a problem.

For the first time Hyuga Hiashi had met his grandson he felt something akin to pride swelling. It only grew bigger as he saw the boy staring directly to his eyes not once showing shyness or fear. The cherubic face was of course to open for a true Hyuga, but the child was certainly beautiful enough to use such display at his advantage-

Then he saw Naruto ruffling his son's blond hair with nothing but genuine affection and his mind made connections.

"...You showed me his potential on purpose. Why?" Hiashi asked, again his cold exterior at front, this time though with a hint of agitation. He did not like to be manipulated and it irked him not knowing the younger man's ulterior motive.

"Are you willing to accept my son?" Naruto asked instead a direct reply in a nonchalant way. The Hyuga raised an eyebrow, thoughts racing.

"Into the clan?"

"No, God no," Naruto chuckled as he carried his child once more on his arms, "As his other family. He is my son and he will stay that way, I have no interest in integrating him into your clan system especially when I have no idea if he will end up in the Branch house with that heinous seal."

It was a reasonable thought, the boy was the son of his eldest but a bastard child, which automatically eliminated his chance of becoming main house, not to mention he was probably bred into his daughter as an experiment-

"Knowing how well Konohamaru was treated as the Sandaime's grandson, it probably wouldn't hurt to call him the grandson of the Yondaime or something..." Hiashi paused his own thoughts and stared at the blond in front of him. Naruto must have realized the stunned expression as he furrowed his eyebrows to show suspicion.

"You know he was my father right? The Yondaime?"

"...Yes."

Most of the people in the council knew. If the blond hair, blue eyes and the time of his appearance wasn't enough, his return this time certainly would have made a statement. Even his daughter Hanabi had heard the whispers and came to verify the truth.

Naruto tickled his son making the toddler squeal in delight. But while doing so, Hiashi could still hear the blond's musing.

"Maybe I should make it more official. Kami knows I look like him and Arashi is nearly a carbon-copy of that man."

At that the older Hyuga had to silently agree. The little boy did look more like a Namikaze than a Hyuga. Then, it hit him.

"You are building up a political status." Hiashi suddenly realized in surprise, because that was certainly the last thing he would have assumed from the blond. It was a logical movement, of course, especially for someone like Naruto who had singlehandedly defeated a huge threat to the village and _was_ in fact the legitimate son of a former Kage, although not many knew. But such act did not add up to the boisterous boy Hiashi had seen 3 years prior.

He remembered too well how the boy had defeated Neji, desperate for recognition and never giving up, but that boy was open like a book. Although he claimed to be the next Hokage, Naruto never had shown any desire to climb the social ladder. He was just like so many other naive children, who believed being a powerful Shinobi meant everything including becoming Hokage. In reality you needed a name, strength, manpower and support by the council as well as the Daimyo, which never came without a price.

This Naruto though...

Hiashi remembered just too well how much the blond Yondaime was hailed and loved at his time, and couldn't help but replace his spot with the younger one in front of him. After what he had seen today with the crowds, that was not an alien thought.

"What do you want from the Hyuga, Naruto-san?" Hyuga Hiashi finally asked, for the first time adding a honorific to that name, which came with surprisingly small reluctance. The Hyugas were in debt. No because the blond had fought for Konoha, since that was a duty they all shared, but because he managed to save those who were already lost. Literally. It was a miracle, a wonder what the blond had managed to do and something like that could not be easily forgotten.

And for the first time in this entire bizarre conversation Uzumaki Naruto stared at the Hyuga with eyes that hold nothing but sheer power.

"What I want you ask? I want your support to regain my father's name or some of his estate at least. And I want Hinata buried under my name, as my legal wife. I do not wish my son to be known as an dirty little secret resulted from a careless fling-" at that Hiashi couldn't help but scowl, "it wouldn't be fair to Arashi, to Hinata nor myself. I already have my Godfather's blessing as well as my father's, I just need your permission to perform _Mukasari Ema _("Marriage of the Dead")."

That stopped all of Hyuga Hiashi's thoughts. After all he had expected the blond to demand as his pay, that was certainly not one of them. In fact, it never even crossed his mind.

"You do know", Hiashi started slowly not able to completely hide his suddenly dry throat, "that once you perform that ritual you can never take another wife again?"

The older man almost dreaded to hear the answer but Naruto didn't even whimper. He was just as confident as ever.

"Yes. I'm willing to bind my soul to her."

_He truly is serious about this_, Hiashi thought wildly recalling everything he knew about Mukasari, the marriage of the dead. It was an ancient practice, older than the countries themselves, in which one party was dead while the other lived and still wished to proceed with the marriage. But since one party was already dead and had no body to consummate the marriage, they bound the souls instead, their marriage sealed into their spirits. It was an acknowledged ritual even in the higher class, mostly performed to bring two clans together and build an alliance. But because once married they were not allowed to take another wife or husband and no chance of divorce, there had been always a problem with the heir, thus making the practice nearly extinct.

No one, absolutely no one Hiashi ever heard of, had willingly engaged himself to a Mukasari marriage.

The number 1 unpredictable ninja in Konoha? Hiashi couldn't help but snort, the number 1 unpredictable human being in the whole world would befit this man better!

"...As much I appreciate your devotion to my eldest, Naruto-san, the Hyuga are still in debt and you are only seventeen. A man, yes, strong, yes, but still a teenager."

To be honest it was a good match, especially when Naruto decided to regain his father's name, but that was only when Hinata was alive. Hiashi knew allowing this would be condemning the boy for eternal solitude and for the conscience of his clan he couldn't do it. Not when they had a life debt to pay. There were other ways to legitimize Naruto and Hinata's son and should the blond inquire, Hiashi would help as part of compensation.

But as Naruto just kept staring at him, Hiashi somehow realized the boy would never step down from his declaration. Not only because he was bull-headed, but the moment he saw the brilliant azure eyes, he read determination.

"Hiashi-san, I will not tell you the details of my stay in the camp. But I will tell you this: thinking about Hinata and the life we would built together was the only good thought I had for 374 days of mind numbing pain, a happiness I had never experienced before. Now that I am a free man, that thought still hasn't changed. Our son will be my only heir as Hinata will be my only wife. I have no regrets."

"When you recover-"

"I am saying this because I have recovered. Don't mistake my age as naiveness, it was before, it isn't any longer. When I was drunk, I tried other women. I did everything possible just to get rid of the pain. But in the end, in my insanity, blood and agony was everything I understood. I went so far that I even forgot about my little sun...but never her. Never once did I forget _her_."

Naruto slowly touched Hinata's coffin, eyes filled with love and sorrow. Hiashi could feel the man's pain, the admiration, the gratefulness he held for his daughter.

The blond was speaking the truth. His request was not a whim of young love, this was a man who was willing to protect his family at all costs. He was searching for a tie to loose ends, not damnation.

"I will not let anyone stain Hinata's name, not over this," Naruto whispered and Hiashi squeezed his eyes shut, "I can't stand the thought. Please, I beg you, Hiashi-san, allow me to take your eldest daughter as my wife."

And what could a father have possibly left to say to the man who wished to save his daughter's name?

* * *

When Naruto finished discussing the details with the head of Hyuga clan, he took one more look at Hinata's coffin before turning away. He had already summoned a toad and sent his son back to Myobokusan.

Normally only summoners were allowed to the mountain, but after spending his first year of life with the toads, Arashi had become some sort of honorary toad. And when Jiraiya handed Naruto the summoning scroll naming him his successor, the toads immediately proceeded to made a blood pact with the Namikaze family; children of the Namikaze line would make toads their prior summons and let them handpick their next summoners, as the toads would care for the Namikaze young and lend them a hand when trouble arises. Jiraiya called it a summon's version of 'calling dibs', but since both Naruto and Arashi liked the toads, there wasn't much problem. Well, except sometimes Arashi seemed to believe he was some kind of premature tadpole, because he had more limbs than his little tadpole friends.

It didn't really help that Hukasaku and Shima doted on their little blond guest like their own. Naruto was grateful and trusted the toad couple to keep his baby safe, but sometimes couldn't help to feel sorrow that Arashi knew more toads than people from his own race. He longed the day he could introduce his little sun to his friends and give him lots of awesome Aunties and Uncles. _And maybe a big brother in Konohamaru_, Naruto thought for a moment, _he must be a Genin now, how fast time flies..._

Then, he stopped right in his track, shock evident in his face.

That was how Kakashi found his little blond student.

"...Naruto? Are you alright?" Kakashi asked, obviously worried. He couldn't sense any danger so he thought something might happened with the Hyugas?

"Huh? Oh. I'm fine. The talk with Hiashi-san went well, too. But I just. I just realized something," Naruto said, but still with a startled face. Kakashi who knew Naruto's history of mental breakdown, decided to prod on.

"What something?"

"I, I am still Genin?"

"..."

The Jounin honestly didn't have a reply to that so he held his breath until he broke down. To laugh. Hard.

"It's, it's not funny, Sensei!" the blond cried in alarming distress, "I am a seventeen-year-old Genin, my apartment just got blown up, I've got no savings, no parents, with extra mouth to feed and I still need to buy 10 barrels of sake for Gamabunta 'cause I lost a stupid bet...Stop laughing you bastard!"

"I'm not laughing."

"Yes you are! I can sense a henge you know!"

With a pop Kakashi dropped the calm henge-face and cackled loudly. Even his mask did little to hide it since the man was practically bawling out the laughter.

The blond was turning dangerously red obviously wrestling with his inner self the best way to murder his teacher. When he finally decided to try the good old hit-hard-and-run, Kakashi immediately sensed an attack and smoothly changed the subject.

"Hm. Didn't Jiraiya-sama leave you something? I know you are in his will."

"...Huh? Oh. Yeah, that. He said something about it but I kinda told him he should use the money for charity. For orphanage and something like that you know." Naruto mumbled rubbing his neck sheepishly. Kakashi just stared at him.

"...You idiot."

"Hey! I was going to be Hokage by the time the old perv bites grass, okay? I was going to be the richest man in Konoha!" shouted the blond indignantly, only to be the subject of a long deadpan stare from the silver-haired Jounin.

"Naruto...You do know a Hokage doesn't really earn that much money, right?"

Apparently he didn't, since the crestfallen look on Naruto's face would have torn the most noble ladies hearts apart. He looked like a child who had gone to the dentist with a promise of candy and didn't get any because of cavities. Unfortunately, Kakashi was far from a soft-hearted lady and he thrived on other's misery.

"How much do _you_ make?" Naruto asked eyes narrow.

"Well, that would depend on the mission and the rank...but approximately this much," Kakashi answered truthfully making a handsign for numbers. Naruto who had been pouting desperately trying to regain some of his bruised dignity, sputtered in shock, eyes gone big as saucers.

"Sensei you...You are super rich!"

"Maa, I'm not that rich-"

"And you use it all to buy dirty smut books! I can't believe it! No wonder Ero-sennin never stopped writing that crap! Taking advantage of rich, socially retarded pervs!"

Naruto ranted on and on about the unfairness of the world and the amount of perverts who had their dirty sweaty hands in Konoha's economy, but Kakashi never left his side listening intently to every word because Naruto had promised to let him read the last Icha Icha book of Jiraiya-_**still in manuscript**_.

...And because he was a good friend, Kakashi hurriedly added himself not really believing it.

"Oh and Sensei?"

"Hm?"

"I'm getting married to Hinata. Thought maybe you could be my best man?"

Kakashi just stared at him not able to decide if this was a joke or some crazy shit the blond was playing. But then he realized the seriousness in the playful face, and his mind began to race.

"Naruto..."

"Ero-sennin already gave me permission for the bond and Hiashi-san agreed. I just need someone from my side as witness," Naruto said and when he saw the rigidness of his teacher he sighed exasperatedly.

"Look, I would ask Iruka-sensei 'cause he's like my almost big brother since I was little but he doesn't have the clearance. Tsunade-baachan is out of the question for obvious reasons, which leaves you. Help me or leave it, but don't start questioning my decisions. I did enough of that with Hiashi-san already."

"...Should I be honored to be your third choice?" Kakashi drawled not really offended but still wary if this was a future he wanted for his student.

"Actually you are my fourth. Jiraiya was number one on the list."

"Naruto..."

"If you don't want to be my best man, Neji and Hanabi are going to be there so maybe I should just ask Neji to be my witness..."

"No. You need someone outside of the clan to witness the procedure. I will do it." Kakashi answered automatically, before stopping himself and saw an amused smile on his student's lips. The copy-nin couldn't help but sigh.

"You are getting sly. I'm not sure if I appreciate that."

Naruto chuckled. It was eery how much his voice sounded like Minato-sensei's when he did that.

"We all have to grow up, sensei. Some faster than others."

"...How true."

"But it's worth it, ne? The faster I grow up, the longer Ara-kun will have to enjoy his childhood. That's what you wartime-borns did for us, now it's time we do the same."

Kakashi didn't say anything, then gave the blond an incredulous look.

"...Wartime-borns? Seriously?"

"Yup. You lot are all batshit crazy. Must be inborn PTSD."

"Says the one who is going to be married to the dead."

"I had my own share of postnatal war."

"...How true."

* * *

**A/N**:

_Mukasari Ema _is a real ritual in Japan, although it is unique to Yamagata prefecture; the basic thought is giving your unwed son a wife in afterlife. I took the name and idea and made it an ancient custom in Naruto-verse. And no, Naruto isn't suggesting it out of pure sentimentality.

Naruto is mature for a reason, not only because of his son.


	4. The Hell

**Warning:** description of torture, emotional trauma

* * *

**A/N: **my friend tells me to add although this fic is inspired by "Father to a blond Hyuga", the theme is very different; mostly because I don't like Forgive-you-everything-cuz-I-didn't-die...in-the-end! Naruto and best way to cover it is Angst! Naruto. M is M for a reason. There will be Lemons too but only if it is necessary to make lemonade in context of the story progress. So be warned!

* * *

**The Hell**

* * *

_Past, Naruto Age 14_

Everything hurt. Naruto groaned as the pain in his abdomen grew unbearable with each moment. The bastards, as the blond called them, were especially ruthless today. It had been two months since he had been captured with Hinata and everyday he was beaten, whipped or chained into some obscene machine that stuck a large needle in his stomach and scorched the demonic Chakra inside him.

It didn't help that the Kyuubi was suffering too, since it took everything out on its vessel's mind. Hatred, fury, disgust was always in his guts, but every time the Kyuubi tried to take over the seals restraining the bijuu lashed back to cut them with their own strength. Naruto couldn't remember the last time he felt no pain on his back and sides or worth in his head.

Faintly through his pained whimper however, the blond Jinchuuriki heard someone crying.

"...Hinata? What's wrong?"

While Naruto was more than once mortally wounded to measure his healing rate, Hinata was used as a lab rat for the Byakugan, but when she stubbornly declined to cooperate, they wanted her to...

Naruto didn't like to think about it, but he cared deeply for his companion and crawled to be near her. Hinata had cried the first days they spent in captivity, but since it became obvious nobody would come for them, she slowly built up an iron barrier that even shielded Naruto from drowning in despair. Every time he wanted to give up choking on his own blood and spit, Hinata would lie next to him, caring as best as the circumstance allowed and telling him stories of her dreams.

Naruto loved her dreams.

And at the night he took her for the first time on his own volition, she told him she loved him. Since then Naruto hoped to be with her in her dream.

The blond didn't know love, as nobody had ever loved him before, but he knew if anyone was worthy to be loved, it would be Hinata. Naruto worshipped her.

Her body lost weight but was still soft and smooth in all the right places, her voice gentle and warm and although her eyes were often blood shot from forceful overuse she still had the most beautiful smile. And now that she carried his baby, Naruto would sometimes just sink into the warmth of her sex and feel content. They didn't even necessarily have intercourse, most times they just lied there next to each other linked in the most intimate places and temporary bliss.

It was like someone had lit a candle in eternal darkness.

When the blond finally managed to limp to her, Hinata who was curled into a ball slowly reached out. Naruto spooned her as best he could, not liking the tremor that wouldn't stop shake up her body.

"What's wrong, Hinata? What did they do to you?"

"No-Not me," Hinata whispered, thick tears rolling over her bruised cheeks─someone had slapped her repeatedly and God how he wished to see them writhe in agony. Naruto let out an irritated growl, eyes glowing red, but Hinata didn't even seem to notice that she was currently lying in arms of a demon. She wasn't really looking at Naruto either with a blank stare not meeting once with Naruto's gaze.

"The baby. Th-they killed it." she finally said. Naruto stopped breathing.

"...What?"

"Th-the Byakugan...it manifests very early an-and this one didn't have it."

"...So they just killed it...? Our...our baby?"

Naruto didn't even need to see how Hinata nodded, not able to speak it out loud. The growl that escaped his lips was inhuman. Canines grown drawing blood, the demon vessel launched to rip his enemy's throats.

"YOU BASTARDS! I WILL KILL YOU!"

The seals carved into his skin flared immediately by his outburst of demonic Chakra but that didn't stop him from charging against the door slamming his body again and again. Naruto heard a small crack and felt his arm dislodge from its socket, but he didn't care. Not when they did this to Hinata and their baby. He hated HATED them! And they WOULD PAY! THEY WOULD PAY!

"S-Stop...Please, stop..." Hinata sobbed still clutching to her midsection. Her thin wrists were not only bruised but had deep gashes that were still burning red.

_She was conscious during the abortion_, Naruto realized suddenly, they scraped out their baby from Hinata's body and they made her be aware what was happening! Hinata didn't need to tell him what exactly transpired, Naruto knew enough of their sick games.

They called it mind-fucking game, which basically involved telling the blond they would just go through 3 tests today and while he waited patiently his torture to end as they tore out his nails, skinned his arms, carved more seals with blunt knife, then they would suddenly turn with a smile and say no they decided to do 7 tests just because they can. Naruto never hated people with so much venom in his entire life.

"Why should I stop? They hurt you. They hurt, no killed our baby! How can you tell me to stop?!"

I hate them so much but why can't I do anything? Why did Hinata have to lose the baby? It didn't do anything wrong! We loved it! We didn't want it at first, but we still loved it! God, why did you give it to us only to take it away the next second?

"B-Because you are just hurting yourself. I don't want you to die too Naruto...I love you..."

Naruto felt Hinata's tears burning on his back. Her tears mingled with the blood and sweat he had lost, and soon he felt his own face soaking wet. He held Hinata tightly but couldn't stop crying because they lost a child and it was not fate but human who took it from them.

"I'm sorry I'm weak, Hinata. I am so sorry...You don't deserve this."

Our baby didn't deserve to die. It died because it had my eyes not Hinata's. It wouldn't have died if it hadn't my eyes...

But before the blond could finish his self destructive mantra, Hinata palmed his face and kissed his wet cheeks.

"Naruto, you don't deserve this either and you are not weak. We...we just need more time."

She said that with so much conviction Naruto didn't have it in him to contradict her. He wanted to believe her. He wanted to hope again.

When Hinata saw her lover had calmed down, she whimpered remembering her own pain. She grabbed Naruto's hand and laid her head on the crook of his neck.

"C-can you hold me? My belly hurts..."

"...yeah, sure. Come here."

That night Naruto stroked her stomach until she fell asleep, still tears glistening in the corner of her eyes. The bastards let the two adolescence rest the next day, but neither of them felt any gratefulness. They mostly slept through the day curled in together.

One week later, bastards decided it was time for them to try for another baby.

Another week later, Hinata was pregnant again. Naruto swore to protect it and lost consciousness for nine days as they popped out two of his toes and tore apart his kidney. His organs didn't grow back but Hinata got to keep their new baby.

For that, Naruto was grateful.

* * *

_Present, Naruto Age 17_

Naruto was meeting his friends for the first time in 3 years. They caught glimpses of each other before, of course, mostly right after his return from fighting Pain. However this was the first time the Konoha 12 were gathered all together.

Although, Naruto painfully recognized, even with his return the number had been reduced to a count of 10. After Sasuke had defected Naruto and Sakura were teamed up with the others, not really finding a substitute for team 7. But it seemed with his own absence, the spot was filled with a pale shinobi called Sai, who Naruto recognized as the ROOT operative he met while fighting for Sunagakure three months ago. While Sakura and Kakashi had been busy with Sasori of Red Sand, Naruto had been protecting Sunagakure from the elder Uchiha and Kisame. Sai and Yamato were there to aid him with the explosives.

"So," Naruto started, watching the fake-smile of the ROOT member carefully, "we never got to really introduce ourselves, didn't we?"

"There's no need. I know everything about you, Uzumaki Naruto. I read and memorized all of your files."

Sai beamed. Naruto cringed.

"Oh...Okay...That's not creepy at all..." The blond murmured shrinking back a little to hide behind Chouji. Chouji, the good man, gave him a potato chip. Naruto took the chip with a smile and mumbled on it while watching his other friends interact. He noticed the glances they were getting from curious bystanders but not really intruding his private bubble.

They were currently gathering right outside of a huge tent, which served as a great dining hall. Each of the Konoha 12 had a bowl of Ramen in front of them and Naruto melted in the scent. The taste was not as good as he remembered, due to the lack of ingredients, but for now, this was more than enough.

"So, what should I call you?" suddenly Sai asked, bringing the blond back to reality.

"Huh? What, Naruto isn't enough for you?" he joked, not really understanding what the dark haired ANBU wanted, but Sakura cut in and gave a loud sigh. She looked exasperated but also had a weird glint in her eyes that yelled 'DANGER!' in Naruto's paranoia.

"He means a nickname," she said, while shooting Sai a meaningful look the boy obviously didn't understand, "nicknames are good for building up friendship, you know the drill."

"Oh," Naruto said after awhile because he _did_ know the drill, "like you call Ino 'Ino-pig' and Ino calls you 'Billboard-brow'?"

"...What?!"

"Oh!" Sai exclaimed, one fist bumping in open palm, "Is that why you always get angry when I call you Washboard? I didn't know you already had a nickname. From now on, I will call you Billboard-brow too-"

"NOOOO!"

One punch and Sai disappeared. Naruto instinctively hid behind Chouji, not wanting to be on the end of his teammate's rage. Sakura didn't seem to notice as she went after Sai to beat him up again. Naruto felt a little sorry for the guy but didn't dare to rescue him. Shikamaru gave the blond a peculiar look.

"What?"

"You seem different," he stated out of the sudden, which resulted the Jinchuuriki lift an eyebrow but nothing more.

"I don't know what, but something definitely changed," Shikamaru said again but as the blond kept faking innocence, he just sighed and laid back mumbling about being 'too troublesome for meddling'.

"Well, isn't it obvious, Shikamaru? Naruto finally lost his orange!" Ino wedged in with a loud whoop! sound, apparently very happy to be ridden of that eye-sore of a color.

But Naruto just smirked at that and opened up his red Haori with the black flames on the edge, making the Yamanaka blush at the tanned muscle covered in fine mesh armor until her eyes was set on the rich orange inside the cloth. It was horrible.

"You...you..." she croaked, nearly blinded by its ugliness, while Naruto stood proud as a fashion terrorist.

"Orange is my color," he stated without shame making Ino cry. Sakura who came back with a nearly dead Sai looked too shocked to respond, then ended up punching the blond in the guts. It was more a survival instinct than a real attack.

Naruto didn't even realize for a second what hit him.

"Oof!" he groaned, as he fell hard on the ground, stars circling in front of his eyes.

"Yo, Naruto. You alive?" Kiba asked after awhile not sure whether he should cackle on his expense or be worried. The blond didn't answer.

"...Naruto?" Chouji called out concerned, but still there was no sign of life.

"What's wrong with him?"

"How troublesome."

"You broke him Sakura!"

"No I didn't! ...did I?"

"Yosh! I will help beautiful Cherry blossom to wake Naruto up or I will run 1000 laps around the village-"

The blond Jinchuuriki K. O.'d in the ground, laughed. He didn't care at the odd looks he was getting from his friends.

Jiraiya, despite all his perveted flaws, had been right once more. It was good to be home again.

* * *

Kakashi was not happy. He had just planned for an early night when Nara Shikaku met his eyes and signed to meet him secretly. That had been his first clue his night would not end at any time. When he slided into the meeting place, he was surprised to find not only the Nara, but several clan heads as Yamanaka Inoichi, Akimichi Chouja, Aburame Shibi, Inuzuka Tsume. That was his second clue that something was happening that would end his rather peaceful night with Icha Icha.

"Sit, Hatake Kakashi. We don't have much time." Inuzuka Tsume nearly growled out, which made the copy-nin more eager just to go away. However the silver-haired man knew he would never back down from a duty he needed to get done. So he sat down as told and looked curiously at the familiar faces.

"...May I ask what this is about?" he asked and saw how the heads of each clan exchanged some meaningful glances. The Jounin's mind was already forming some hypothesis.

As expected, Nara Shikaku was the one to speak for all.

"We want you to be the next Hokage."

"...Excuse me?"

The Inuzuka barked at the positively baffled face of the Jounin. "Are you deaf now? We said we want you as the next Alpha dog!" She, of course, knew Kakashi's incomprehension didn't come from hearing problems but more like 'WHAT THE FUCK?!'-issues. But she liked to tease.

Shikaku on the other hand, found it too troublesome to even bother and came directly to the heart of the matter.

"You heard us Kakashi. The Daimyo requested a meeting tomorrow at noon. They don't want to waste time, which means we don't have any time to spare. I am leaving with the Council and the ANBU commander in the morning and I am going to nominate you."

Kakashi didn't even have to ask why he was chosen, since he knew Tsunade was grooming him as next candidate. She had always thought the Yondaime's one flaw was not having prepared a potential backup, which was understandable given the man's young age, but still as Hokage you always had the risk of dying prematurely. Which meant, she had chosen Kakashi as her primary target in case of retirement.

The only thing Kakashi could hope to avoid the responsibility was that when the time came someone like Naruto would be old enough to take the burden instead. He was perfectly happy to be the slightly perverted, mysterious teacher who could give some advice or two before waddling off to freedom. Becoming Hokage had been always someone else's dream, like Obito or Naruto or even Minato-sensei before he fulfilled his.

"Are you sure they would demand another Hokage and not just a proxy?" Kakashi asked, but Shikaku shook his head.

"Although we have, thanks to Naruto, obtained next to no loss in manpower, our village itself is defenseless. The wards we had since Shodaime are severly damaged, new patrols need to assigned, new supply source acquired, new military units designed from layer 1. A proxy would not have enough authority to rebuild the whole base."

"Not to mention that it is unlikely the Godaime will wake up from her coma soon," Aburame Shibi added in his collected voice, "it is therefore logical to elect another full-functioning Hokage."

The silver-haired man took a deep breath to take it in. It seemed there was no chance he could lessen his duty. He wondered for a moment what his dead sensei would have said until his thoughts reached to a blond very similar to the man; hearing his teacher replacing the woman he called baachan would set Naruto on rampage.

"When I agree, how likely is it that I actually get the job?"

"50%," Shikaku answered immediately, "you are the only student of the late Yondaime still alive, who has his own high renown for his skills as shinobi. Adding the fact the Daimyo was a fan of your father, the White Fang."

Being the son of his father always had been a double-edged sword for Kakashi. Since Obito's death he had learned to be proud of him, but that didn't change how much disdain and suspicion the young Hatake had to endure growing up. One day son of a hero, the next son of a traitor.

Although his anger at his father's failure had diminished with time, one thing he could never forget was his father's suicide. He had been six by then, a freshly minted Chuunin but still a child. He remembered all too well feeling his father's cold, sickening blood soaking his chubby hands in shock, not able to move until Minato-sensei came and snapped him out of it. He never wanted to forgive Sakumo for that. And never forgive himself for calling his father a coward the day before he died. It had been the last thing he had said to his father.

However the sting he always felt when someone mentioned his father was definitely lighter now.

The knowledge Sakumo's soul had been not able to move forward because of his love for the son he left behind, dissolved any grief Kakashi had left in his heart. He hadn't even realized he had felt abandoned until he understood he wasn't, well at least not completely.

"Perhaps you should also include the fact that I am the Jounin teacher of Uzumaki Naruto," the copy-nin mused with something akin to pride and pleasure to brag tingling under his tone, "he is, after all, the hero of today."

Shikaku caught on and sent the Jounin an amused look.

"What about the Hyugas?" Inuzuka Tsume interrupted the two men, "Does stuck-up Hyuga have someone else in mind or what?"

"I've been wondering that, too," said the head of Aburame clan in calm voice. Shikaku shook his head before he answered.

"He was informed of the meeting and agreed that Hatake is the best candidate. He didn't come because he had his daughter's funeral to arrange."

"His daughter? But Hyuga Hanabi-" Tsume started shocked but Kakashi cut in mid-sentence first.

"He meant Hinata. Hiashi-san's older daughter."

"...Oh. My gaki's teammate, huh? They found her body?"

Kakashi contemplated a moment before carefully rephrasing his answer so no link between the recovery of Hinata's body would stand with his student.

"They did. That probably means her family will prepare a proper funeral."

"Good for her!" Tsume growled, "My gaki was close to ripping those stuck-ups throats out when they said something about 'no body no funeral' shit. Thought her as pack, you know. Her and Shibi's boy. At least she can rest in peace now."

"...Ino cried a lot when the Hokage announced the news 2 years ago. Sakura was always the closer friend, of course, being female rivals and all, but Hinata...she was a good soul. Ino blamed herself because it was actually her who was meant to go that day."

Yamanaka Inoichi said quietly. Hinata's death had hit everyone hard, but especially the members of Konoha 12. Sasuke's defection made them angry but Hinata's death broke them down. Despite her timid, quiet nature the children had liked the Hyuga heiress and thought her as a mixture of comrade and little sister. The fact that the other abducted person, Naruto, didn't return immediately only dragged them down harder. Kakashi had more than once witnessed how Sakura and Ino had slapped villagers who were opening their big mouth discussing groundless theories how Naruto had been exiled because it was him who harmed the young Hyuga; as well as the boys violently reacting to any rumors of Naruto being dead.

"It was too early and too close," the Nara said with only a hint of his typical drawl in speech, "first Hinata and then Asuma...it was hard for them. They are the first generation children born in time of peace; they are not used to lose people they hold dear."

The parents in the room nodded with a grim expression.

At that Kakashi couldn't help but remember the conversation he held with Naruto just yesterday and thought how true it was. It had been too close and too harsh for an unprepared child to handle. So the child was forced to grow up beyond its natural limit. The copy-nin pushed his melancholy thoughts and chirped in with fake joviality.

"Maa, that probably means we wartime-borns have to work harder when we don't want the children to turn out like us."

"...Wartime-borns?"

The clan heads cracked a grin at the new term that described them. Kakashi smiled with his one visible eye but felt a heavy rock inside his chest. Because he already knew a boy who had seen enough. And somehow, it felt like his fault.

* * *

**A/N**: Different from canon; A shift in timeline, Naruto trained with Jiraiya AFTER abduction. Sai is new to the Team. Sakura fought against Sasori with Chiyo but was knocked unconscious shortly after that; Naruto fought to defend Suna and helped Chiyo to revive Gaara. The clan heads are mentally preparing Kakashi to take over, so Kakashi is warned. These are minor differences and the storyline before Pain mostly worked like Canon; although I will make changes to divert from it. Some events will still happen, but different from original timeline.


	5. The fox

**The Fox**

* * *

Naruto woke up with a painful grunt.

"Ouch, Arashi-kun...When did you get here dattebayo?"

Arashi, who had giddily rib-crushed his father, giggled in delight.

"Daddy! Daddy! Up! Up!" the tiny toddler yelled, holding out his chubby arms in obvious demand. Naruto sighed but couldn't deny his little sun his morning cuddle. It was something both blondes believed in religiously.

"...What time is it anyway?" Naruto asked as Arashi wrapped his arms around his neck while looking around their new living arrangement(the forest) with big eyes. The Kage Bunshin, ordered to baby-sit their baby boy in Myobokusan, just gave a serene smile in its entirely soaked clothes, which made the hair on the back of his neck stand up. Now that he could observe the clone in closeness, he noticed its pupils blown unnaturally wide. The blond Jinchuuriki narrowed his eyes in suspicion.

"You are not on crack are you? I don't care if you are a clone, if you were high while watching my baby-"

"Heheh! Nope! Not crack! Let me just dispel myself, adios!"

"Wha-?!"

Before Naruto could end his threat the Kage Bunshin chirped his good-bye and with a poof he was gone. While Naruto adjusted himself to the newly gained information of his long-term clone, Arashi watched with a pout where his other Daddy had disappeared. The toddler loved the attention his Daddies always gave him, although he loved his _real_ Daddy the bestest, and was disappointed that his Daddy-faced babysitter went away. He wanted to be cuddled, so he turned to tell Daddy that, only to see the horrified look on his face.

"...Arashi. Did you really go to swim in the Big River all by yourself?!"

"No!" the boy denied immediately, just because he could, but Naruto was already panicking.

"You did! You so did! And then you were covered in mud with your tadpole friends while a rogue toad tried to eat you!"

"No! No eat!"

"Oh, right, he just swallowed you didn't he?!"

"Big tummy! Yumyum!"

Naruto slapped his own face with a groan. His baby was babbling enthusiastically about how gooey the toad's insides were, too young to understand sarcasm. Now Naruto could understand the reaction of his babysitter clone; it wasn't on drugs, it was on sedatives, recovering from the heart attacks it suffered while his little sun thought everything was a funny adventure. No wonder the clone was soaked wet and so happy to be able to disappear.

Naruto gave a small pinch on the toddler's nose.

"...You little terror, you."

Arashi giggled.

"I think you need to get punished." The blond Jinchuuriki declared solemnly only to meet vehement denial.

"Nooo!" The baby cried, but Naruto just stared down with slit eyes.

"Yes, you do. When little boys give their Daddies heart attacks, they get punished."

"Nu-uh!"

Arashi shook his head, his eyes huge, but Naruto just smirked mischievously. Then, he lounged at the little terror and tossed him in the air to gently land on his lap, exposing the round tummy and blowing raspberries. Arashi squealed in delight, waving all four limbs while laughing in high spirit.

"You give up, little sun? You give up?"

"Noo!" The toddler shrieked, his light violet eyes shining. Naruto started tickling the boy and smugly kneeled back when he noticed the puddle of baby-mush that was once his son. But he didn't expect his baby bounce forward tackling his old Dad right into stomach.

"Oof! Man, Arashi that was a hard blow," Naruto grumbled while grabbing the little blond by his ankles and whirling him to sit on his shoulders, "but it's to be expected, I suppose, your Mommy had a thick skull too."

"Mommy?"

"Yeah, baby, your Mommy looked delicate as a flower but when she hit, she hit hard."

"Mommy pwincess!"

"Huh. I guess you could say that. People did call her the Hyuga-hime occasionally..."

"Pwetty!"

"Oh yes. She was gorgeous. You got most of your looks from my side, but she gave you her eyes."

"Mommy's eyes! Love love love!"

Naruto chuckled, swinging his son's arms in a playful manner. He loved the warmth radiating from the small body as the baby snuggled closer, babbling baby-talk. But there were mixed sentences Naruto could actually understand and for that, the young father was beaming in pride. It helped that most of Arashi's tadpole friends could talk in full sentences already, although it sometimes ended in a croak or a bubble in water.

"Ne, Ara-kun. Do you know where we are?"

At that the toddler looked around, taking the view of huge trees and green for the second time.

"Tree!" he yelled, pointing to the Hashirama-wood, Naruto had been leaning against before the Kage Bunshin came with the little blond in tow. Naruto laughed taking Arashi from his shoulders and ruffled his boy's blond hair.

"Yes, it's a tree. We are in a forest of Konohagakure, the place where your Mommy and I come from. Can you say 'Konoha', little sun?"

"Ko-no-Ha!"

"Very good!", Naruto cooed and his baby boy beamed at the praise.

"Daddy's been hiding, I mean meditating..." the older blond trailed off, then let out a sigh. "I guess it's weird to walk around the village as Uzumaki Naruto, the dude everybody seems to know. They like me now, which is good, but I spent the last two years taking up Ero-sennin's spy network without being recognized, so everything feels pretty weird. Then we have your grandfather..."

"Jiji!"

"Yes, your jiji! He had your Mommy's eyes right? In fact, you also have an Auntie and Uncle-"

"Mommy's eyes?"

"Yup. They all have Mommy's eyes. But your Uncle Neji and Auntie Hanabi have the best...or so I heard. They can make their eyes really sharp and can see all around! Isn't that awesome?"

"Awesome!" Arashi cheered, although Naruto couldn't say if his baby truly understood what a Byakugan could do.

Probably not. But that was fine.

Arashi was only two and Hinata had said she didn't begin her training until she was 3 and half, and that was only because she had been kidnapped by Kumo. Her sister Hanabi begun her training at 4, as did Neji. Active Byakugan training was nonexistent until they reached at least their fifth birthday.

Hinata and Naruto had spent hours in the Hell talking about what they wanted to teach their child;

Naruto wanted his son to learn Kage Bunshin and Rasengan, as they were his trademarks as well as his father's-well at least Rasengan was.

Hinata wished her baby to know at least the basics of Juuken. Naruto joked how awesome it would be when they had a Juuken performing Kage Bunshin army of a kid, who could spin the Kaiten while throwing Rasengans then spit large fire balls and fly with fluffy wings. Naruto had been on pain-killers.

When he sobered up, they agreed they wanted their baby just be healthy. They didn't care about power nor occupation. Sunshine(as they used to call the baby when they didn't know the gender) could be weak, shy and even lazy like a Nara; as long as he was healthy they wouldn't mind.

'Maybe a pirate,' Naruto had mused, much to the amusement of Hinata, 'I wanted to be a pirate when I was four.'

'I-I wanted to be a baker,' Hinata whispered while keeping her smile, 'so I could eat cinnamon rolls everyday.'

'Huh. Maybe our baby could be a baker on a pirate-ship. You know, so he can collect baking recipes from all over the world!'

Hinata had laughed at that, like ringing bell flowers, soft and sweet, and Naruto kissed her. Because it was the most beautiful sound he ever heard and he would do anything to hear her laughing like that all the time.

But in reality things would never work out as they hoped in naivete.

Naruto knew his son would not be a baker, he would grow shinobi to live and serve his village. Arashi had no choice, because since the beginning his child had been fated to this life; and Naruto who now knew the truth would not allow his son to be weak. They couldn't afford it.

He didn't know if Hiashi would agree to train Arashi in the Hyuga-way, but if he did not, that didn't matter. Naruto had knowledge of tricks and high-ranked Jutsus, all from Jiraiya and then Kakashi of course, which one day would be a legacy for Arashi to inherit. He wouldn't let his only child to grow up in this world unprepared. Not when...

"Ne, Ara-kun. Do you want Ichi to come out and play with you?"

"Yay! Ichi-chan!"

Naruto smiled faintly when he nicked his thumb and pressed it on his stomach, making a turning move like opening a jar.

"**Kage Bunshin-Henkei Mode***!"

One moment, his blood swirled into a liquid mass, the next, a small fox with a white Kitsune-mask was standing instead. Arashi cooed and waved his arms.

"Ichi-chan!"

**"I was sleeping, you useless maggot**," the fox spat, only audible to the ears of the older blond, growling while the toddler hugged the little fox for dear life. Naruto shrugged not really feeling sorry.

"Technically, you are still sleeping... At least the original you is. Besides, we are in Konoha territory. I needed a bodyguard for Arashi."

**"I AM NOT YOUR SERVANT, YOU UNGRATEFUL PIECE OF-"**

"yeah, yeah. I'm a hairless ape that can kiss your furry ass or something. Listen, Kurama, I really need a bodyguard for Arashi when I make his existence official. You are my best bet. Actually you are my only bet..."

**"Your point, hairless ape?" **the fox said sounding bored and uninterested. Naruto scowled.

"I could henge you to look like a toad you know. That clone you possessed _is_ part of my Kage Bunshin. It's like layered with hundreds of them to solidify, but still. I only chose this foxy look because that's how your youki sculpts it in the first place."

**"...You would dare to make me look like a frog?! A FROG?!"**

"A toad," Naruto corrected unrepentantly which made the Kyuubi Bunshin fume with anger. He wasn't really afraid of it hurting his baby though, since the moment it tries to attack, Naruto could dispel it. It was a specialized Kage Bunshin spiked with the Kyuubi's Youki and Chakra, but it was _his_ clone.

**"I'm going to rip your limbs apart and eat it raw!" **the fox screamed, not caring about the small blond baby that was now tugging on its tail. Naruto gave the clone an amused look.

"That's going to be difficult in that adorable body. And I'm not going to summon the rest 8 tails to help you. Hell, I'm not going to give you access to _one_ tail if you don't agree to help me."

**"You...you...maggot**,**"** Kurama said but he had let this Bunshin version be summoned more than once to know the limits already. It only took him 52-times of attempt-murdering Naruto until he realized that attacking his jailor with the original in the guts was just not possible.

"I could fell on my knees and grovel for your assistance if you want," Naruto offered, but was brushed off with a snort.

**"I've seen enough of your pathetic form, you brainless cretin, I already know you are a pitiful worm without shame." **

"Well, to my defense, I think you are now the only one who knows to exactly what extent," the blond Jinchuuriki mused out loud, not really denying the statement. He was thinking about the times the Kyuubi tried to bring his jailor out of his inebriated state, so he would finally stop to try to kill himself in the most undignified ways.

There were two ways, the demon fox wanted his jailor to die; either shredded by the Kyuubi's own fangs or in a horrible battle with lots of dead human, where the Jinchuuriki was lost in hatred and killer intent. Naruto however had been so far gone in despair, that he didn't really feel anything anymore. He devoured the cruel images the Kyuubi kept sending him and dwelled in the lingering pain, without making any attempt to break out.

The Kyuubi did not wish to disappear for a hundred years because his container was beaten to death by low-life pimps wanting money.

That was when he started to actually communicate with the hairless imp, until Naruto learned the Five Element Seal and placed it on himself efficiently cutting the Kyuubi out of his Chakra system.

For the first time in his long life, Kurama whole heartly cheered as the toad-oil-reeking, white-furred-clown roared obscenities to the blond while beating him to come to his senses.

The demon fox still hated his jailor, but this somewhat-recovered version was at least better than the numb, self-destructive one. Besides, it did help that this one was actually willing to listen to the fox, unlike that bitch Uzumaki Mito, his first jailor nor the stupid second one, Uzumaki Kushina. That was why he let the cretin call him by his name, although he regretted it time to time.

"Come on, Kurama. I thought we were practically friends?" the blond Jinchuuriki pouted, receiving an incredulous sound of loathing as response. Naruto sobered up as quickly as possible before the Kyuubi decided to throw a fit. Demon-fox throwing fits was definitely a big fat 'nono'. Especially when your hometown had currently the similarity to a large pit than to an actual village.

"I need your youki to provide Arashi the perfect camouflage," Naruto tried to explain, "so stay with him?"

The fox gave him a deadpan look that clearly said "what an idiot". Naruto had no idea how the fox managed to do that with a mask covering its head.

**"You are a fool if you truly believe you can keep this a secret," **Kurama said, **"I'm surprised the white-eyed-idiots didn't recognize it immediately."**

"That just means Ero-sennin's seal work is that awesome!" Naruto smiled, but not with the usual enthusiasm he usually carried like a security blanket. Under the scrutinizing gaze he finally faltered slightly, crouched to the ground to pick twigs from Arashi's dirtied pants. Naruto made him stand up and cleaned up as best as he could, while keeping a contemplative look on his face.

"Hyuga Hiashi has currently the most developed Byakugan. Neji apparently has better potential but Hinata said maybe the Cage Bird Seal will prevent him from fully maturing."

**"Mindless imbeciles,"** the Kyuubi clone muttered disgusted by the seal, it reminded him too much of his own restrictions.

"Yeah, tell me about it. Anyway, Hiashi has the best Byakugan and still couldn't find the youki in Arashi. Or he would have said something. It was risky, I know, but worth the test. They won't find out the truth at least for awhile."

**"Then what do you need me for? Summon your precious frogs to watch your dirty little brat!"**

Before Naruto could shout that his sweet baby was definitely not a dirty little brat, Arashi sensed the tension and soothingly cooed at the fox. In all his energetic tendencies, the boy had inherited Hinata's gentle character, bringing out the calmness of other people just via existence. Naruto couldn't help but cackle as he watched two pudgy hands giving the demon clone a belly rub. Kurama seemed agitated, on the verge of snapping, but knew the consequences for harsh action so he stayed quiet. When Arashi looked up seeking for approval Naruto put on a straight face and gave a sincere thumbs up. He could actually feel the Kyuubi wishing to gauge his eyes out.

"The seal will break eventually," the blond said instead, successively diverting the attention of the fox, "but when they start asking questions, I will tell them it was my Chakra, solidified into you."

The fox grumbled something indecipherable under his breath. Naruto knew he was being paranoid to care for such tiny tidbits and extremely naive to believe that something like that could actually make a difference to Arashi's safety, but this was the best thing he could come up with-the exception being hiding the boy for the rest of his life. Which, Naruto, as a former orphan and the most hated brat in Konoha simply couldn't bring himself to do. So he chose to concentrate on smaller things instead.

After what he heard about the Akatsuki from Jiraiya and the man in mask from his father, he didn't want to take unnecessary chances. He had the Kyuubi in his gut, therefore he already was a painted target. Arashi would be a target too, on the sole reason that he was the Jinchuuriki's son alone, but when it got out what exactly the bastards had done to his baby...and what would other people say? Would they still want to protect him when they knew the truth? It took so long to make them see him in another way, he didn't believe it would last. Or even if it did, Arashi would be received as an unknown factor, therefore another threat.

No, Arashi would grow up as a normal child, as normal as shinobi children could be anyway, and when he was ready, Naruto would tell him about the seal. And the possible options. Until then, he was fine with his son playing with the fox-formed Kage Bunshin calling it 'Ichi-chan'.

"**I say you are an idiot and this plan is more idiotic,**" Kurama finally said, sneering at Naruto with contempt, "**I hope my original finally awakes and mauls you in your dreams.**"

"Aww. If that isn't a love declaration!" Naruto cooed mockingly but immediately plastered a huge smile when Arashi looked up tilting his head to one side. The blond baby blinked few times with a confused expression, but then gave one of his bright smiles and began kneading the fox clone's dark-furred feet. Naruto could hear the Kyuubi snort.

He didn't really mind though. The Kurama-clone didn't dispel himself, so he would stay.

* * *

Hyuga Hanabi was confused. As heiress of the great Hyuga clan, she was supposed to be confident, unshakeable. But whenever her older sister Hinata was involved, the young Hyuga never knew what to say nor what to think in the first place.

When she was a very young girl, Hanabi had loved her older sister deeply. Their mother had died after giving birth to her, so whenever Hanabi missed the maternal presence she crawled into Hinata's room, feeling secure in her warmth. She had loved her sister because she was kind and gentle, something not all Hyugas had and something the young girl thought all mothers should have.

But then, Hanabi had seen the cruel truth.

Kindness and a soft heart had nothing to do with the shinobi life, especially not a Main House Hyuga. A perfect Hyuga was stoic, collected and strong, ready to bury all emotions and destroying their enemies by breaking bones. A soft heart was nothing but weakness. But then, so was being born at the wrong time, wrong house.

In the years Hanabi had witnessed how the branch house members were treated and seen for herself the effects of the Caged Bird Seal. She had been six, when one of the Elders called her to the family dojo, teaching her the trigger seal. It was a gift bestowed to a Main House member, he had said, but Hanabi instinctively realized what it was; a threat. If she didn't prove herself to be the better Hyuga, it would be her turn to writhe in burning agony of the cursed seal. The 6-year-old watched in morbid fascination and terrifying horror how one of the strongest branch members burst out into tears begging for forgiveness, veins dangerously turning purple while the jaw muscle didn't cease to spasm. When the seal was finally released, all the young girl could remember was tears, fear, the screams and...an epiphany.

Her freedom had a price. And her sister was the obstacle that stood between.

She tried to hate her then, her still too gentle too kind sister, because it was easier to hate than to love. Hanabi despised her sister's weakness, her timid character, and the sadness in her eyes. She needed to hate her, so she would feel no remorse stepping on her older sibling and gaining the status that promised her freedom. Because Hyuga Hanabi was a Main House member, and she would not become a bird in a cage. _She simply could_ _not_.

But then Hinata was kidnapped and everything changed. It only took one year until her older sister's demise was confirmed, only one year until Hanabi's status as heiress became official. Hyuga Hanabi would become the next leader of the clan. She would stay Main House, die as Main House and never become a Branch member with a Cage Bird Seal. Her freedom and unmarred forehead was now a guaranteed fact. All because her older sister had died.

The 10-year-old Hanabi didn't know how to feel about that. Nothing made sense when Hyuga Hinata was involved.

"Hanabi. Come."

Hanabi was twelve now, Genin Rookie of the Year, but still felt like a helpless child when she met her stern father's gaze. They were standing in a small quiet room in the new Hyuga house and in the center was a large woodwork with a crystal lid. Hanabi could smell the flowers. The sickly sweet smell to cover up everything else. She didn't want to go near that thing.

She didn't want to see her sister dead.

"Father, I-" Hanabi began, face entirely pale now, and in her bubbling panic she looked around the room to seek comfort. There were six people standing including her. Her father, her grandfather, her cousin Neji, Uzumaki Naruto and a Jounin she recognized as Hatake something. Her father and grandfather looked detached and cold as ever, her cousin's face was unreadable and the silver-haired Jounin was standing in the corner half engulfed in the darkness. It was only Uzumaki Naruto who didn't look away and met her eyes.

"Hanabi-chan," he said and Hanabi flinched at the unfamiliar suffix to her name, "you look...actually not very much like your sister. Hinata told me you got your looks from your father and his strength too, while she was more like your mother. I think...I would like to see family photos if that is possible?"

The question was directed to her father, who seemed to seriously contemplate it for a moment before giving a sharp approving nod. Hanabi opened her mouth but didn't really know what to say. So she just stared.

She knew her father had loved her mother deeply and didn't like to look at the few photos they took as a family because it reminded him too much of her. She didn't understand why _Uzumaki Naruto_ of all people was now granted access. What was this? What was the Jounin and the blond moron doing in their home, intruding their family's privacy? One look to Neji and she knew her cousin was baffled as well although he tried hard to maintain straight face.

"Namikaze-san, we should start," her grandfather said suddenly, and Hanabi saw Neji's eyes widen in shock. She let her brain browse for information wondering why her grandfather would confuse the blond's name. Namikaze? Namikaze...where did she hear that name before?

"It's Uzumaki, at least for now, Hyuga-san," Naruto replied mildly, giving the now frowning Neji a short glance, "but you are right, we should start."

Before Hanabi could ask what the hell was happening, the blond took out a long scroll filled with golden script that even without activating the Byakugan reeked like massive piece of Chakra. Hanabi had learned about seals of course, both at her house and at the academy, but she never once saw letters that just screamed power without even recognizing the purpose. The adults however seemed to know what it was, and she saw the awe in their faces that disappeared as sudden as it had emerged. Albeit a bit slowly.

"You wrote this yourself?" Hyuga Hiashi asked and the blond nodded, unfolding the whole scroll over the coffin. The length and width fit perfectly.

"How long have you been working on it?" her father asked again, now actually studying the script from the side with the Byakugan activated, something both her grandfather and Neji seemed to follow. She even recognized how the Jounin had uncovered his left eye, the red sharingan spinning. Hanabi, too, took a look and saw a veil of golden-weaved Chakra. Normally Chakra was colored blue, but she had seen seals on Konoha's older buildings with a tint of golden hue. Never in such intensity though. This was something new to her.

"Took me a year to find the right ritual, another to write it. This is the Mukasari Ema performed by old Uzumaki monks in their shrine. So...don't be surprised when something weird happens. Nobody's gonna die." Naruto said but Hanabi clearly heard the 'probably' muttered under his breath. Before she could protest anything however, the blond cut his own wrists with a kunai and let the blood just flood on the golden script.

"What the-"

"**Houin: Gekka-O no Sekijou!***"

Hanabi screamed at the sudden flash that blinded her eyes. She felt her father protecting her and then suddenly sensed something that chilled her blood. It was as the temperature in the whole room had dropped until she realized it was the Chakra inside her freezing by the proximity of a surreal presence.

"Is that...?"

She heard the Jounin speak up, and opened her eyes to see the source of her surprise for herself.

"What...who...?!" she nearly shrieked in near panic.

It was an old man, a very old man with a white beard and the kanji for moon stitched on his sleeves, holding a sack of red strings.

He was there, yet he wasn't, Hanabi couldn't describe it but instinctively knew he was not human. His eyes that could be only described as dark void was clear sign for it.

But all the strangeness of the visitor didn't matter when Hanabi recognized the blurry figure next to the Moon Elder; in traditional white bridal kimono and the wataboshi head-dress, was sitting a girl who just looked like Hinata, her older sister. One could only see her red lips and the soft face line, but Hanabi just could feel that it was her sister.

It was then, when she realized that the Uzumaki wasn't wearing the black kimono for a funeral but more for a wedding. Both the blond and her sister had the family crest of Uzumaki clan on their kimono. The thought of _this_ actually being a wedding made her heart start pounding. That was her sister! Her sister, dead, dead, dead, but now she was here and Hanabi just wanted-

"Nee-sama...!" she began to call out, but was held back by her father.

"Don't interrupt, Hanabi." he said in a firm voice, while not letting his eyes waver once from the image of his elder daughter. The projection or soul whatever it was, didn't seem to notice anyone but the man who called for her to marry.

"Hinata," Hanabi heard the blond whisper, and she saw how he moved forward like he wanted to touch her but then desperately struggled with himself to hold back. His blue eyes were dilated as if dazed, not once tearing his gaze away from the bride in white.

"Hinata," he whispered again, his voice soaked with emotions Hanabi couldn't understand.

The blood dripping from his wrist was knotting itself into a thin red string, not reaching Hinata yet. It seemed to linger.

The blond looked confused for a second but then looked directly into the void that was the eyes of the old man and took a deep breath. When he opened his mouth it was a pledge as well as offering.

"Be the blood of my blood, the bone of my bone, I vow you my body and we two shall become one. I vow you my spirit, our marriage held sacred by death, I will be your shield, your spear, the one that walks for you and myself, until death closes the distance and we become one again. Nothing shall blind us, for our bond is sealed by the red string of fate."

As he finished the vow, the red blood string slowly started to make its way; the Moon Elder took it and bound it on Hinata's wrists, holding his red book. As the red string tied itself to a knot, there were two more names in the book of bonded fates.

Hanabi thought she saw a small smile on her sister's lips, but couldn't say for sure, because as soon as the red string was bound on both sides and the names were written to never be erased, they suddenly glowed in golden light. After one moment of temporary blindness, the old man, the bride and the golden script on the scroll were gone.

A heavy silence sank in the room. Nobody dared to speak, too shocked and still dazed by the Chakra outburst.

"...Is it done?" Hiashi asked after awhile, untypically in a careful voice, and Naruto nodded staring at his wrists. It didn't even have a small wound on it; the blood that soaked the scroll wet was entirely gone. Had Hanabi not seen it with her Byakugan, she would have thought everything as Genjutsu. Honestly she still wasn't sure if it hadn't been Genjutsu.

"I thought you needed me to sign some papers," the Jounin who was now standing near the blond said in quite neutral voice, but probably shocked as well, because the next moment he blurted out, "Was it really the Gekkaroujin? The Moon Elder?"

"It's an echo of Chakra from higher dimension," the Uzumaki answered calmly, not really caring about everyone else, "just like the Shinigami. We see them as we want to see them."

"So...they were not real?" Neji who kept quiet during the whole ordeal carefully asked, a question that had been bubbling in Hanabi's throat as well.

"The Gekka-O? Maybe or maybe not, who knows. Hinata?" Naruto rubbed the small red half-moon on inner side of his wrist, "She was real. It was her."

With that, he bend forward to kiss the top of the crystal lid and whispered something Hanabi couldn't hear. He gave a few more tender touches then abruptly straightened himself.

"Now that it's official, I think we need some introduction."

Seeing the confused looks as well as the comprehension dawning on the Jounin and father's face, Uzumaki Naruto walked across the room, opening a door Hanabi hadn't realized before that it was there and came back with a small fox. And a baby.

A blond baby with the Byakugan.

The silence in the room was eery.

Just like he did the first time with the father, Naruto turned the baby to meet Hanabi's eyes and said,

"Hanabi-chan. Meet Uzumaki Arashi. Your nephew."

Before Hanabi could respond, Neji punched him.

* * *

***Shadow Clone Technique-Variation Mode; **Henkei(變形) also means modification.

***Release: The red string of Moon Elder**/Gekka-O; The Moon Elder is the God of marriage in many asian cultures. He binds two people with a red string so they are connected and fated to marry. The longer name is Gekkaroujin(月下老人), which means 'the old man under the moon'.

* * *

**A/N**: As a writer, Kage Bunshin is seriously a goldmine to experiment; I always wondered what would happen if Naruto made a Kage Bunshin with the Kyuubi's Chakra dominant. Naruto's shadow clones take his Chakra and can mimic/think like his character because of it, so why not the same with Kurama? It's canon that Naruto's Kage Bunshin can turn rogue Kyuubi too when it dabs too much in the Kyuubi Chakra. So it shouldn't be impossible.

Then I saw **Road to Ninja **and Yami!Naruto can summon the 9 masked beasts, which turned out to be baby foxes with a mask. Hence, my Naruto can summon fox-clones wearing ANBU style fox-masks, nine for each tail. When Naruto gives access to the Kyuubi chakra, they can strengthen themselves and grow bigger.


	6. Interlude: A ryo for your milk

**A/N: **This is a short side-story. Chapter 6 will be updated soon.

* * *

**Interlude: A Ryo for your Milk**

* * *

Jiraiya the Gallant, one of the legendary Sannin, the Toad Sage of Konoha, self-proclaimed Super-pervert woke up feeling extremely grumpy. His neck muscle felt strained,

his bones cracked loudly and he was sore all over. For a brief, brief horrifying moment the white-haired Sage thought that his age had finally caught up with him, but then with a snort, dismissed the whole idea. He wasn't old. He wasn't. Really. Just because he had white hair? Please, he always had white hair. It was just a color like blue, green, pink, orange...

...Okay, maybe he had some wrinkles, but hey chicks loved their men older didn't they? Why would they want inexperienced, little crybabies when they could have this magnificent piece of perfection? Although truth be told, he didn't have much success with the hot babes recently...and the number of women he could impress without pulling out coins grew smaller rapidly...No, no, nonononono!

It wasn't his fault! It was...it was...yes! The brat! It was definitely Minato's little brat's fault! Absolutely!

Jiraiya scowled then, grumbling how much Naruto owed him for picking up the pieces he called mind and gluing them together. Jiraiya was in firm belief that he should be granted the right to kick the boy everytime he wanted for all the troublesome shit Naruto pulled him through. ...Although maybe being the brat's Godfather made this kind of service some kind of his duty?

...No, no, nonono! That was NOT in the job description! That he left the boy almost 15 years on his own and the last year nearly killed the brat didn't count! He didn't feel guilty, therefore he didn't owe the brat anything! Okay, maybe he did owe him something just because his father was his apprentice and he did feel guilty because he kind of promised Minato he would take care of little Naru-chan...who was now sixteen of age and a father for a year. Yeah, Minato would be so grateful.

Jiraiya stared at the small dent on the inn room's wall in painful silence.

"...That's it. I'm going out to uh...research! Of course!"

Jiraiya jumped to get his gear(pen, note and binocular-maximum range, clear vision/ extremely well polished, waterproof, fireproof, covered with spying seals) and waddled to the door of the inn room he was currently staying. But when he opened it, he met the wide violet eyes of a small child. Holding the kid was the annoying brat that gave him headache everyday. ...Kami-sama, why? WHY?

"Ero-sennin, I need you to watch over Arashi."

"...Because?" The Sage asked with dread, but Naruto just shrugged his shoulders, oblivious to the fact he was shoving his son in his Godfather's face.

"Arashi-kun needs to meet other people. I just realized I am the only steady human influence he has."

"...You just realized that _now_? Kid, I told you hundred times you are the most paranoid, overprotective father I've ever met!" Jiraiya exclaimed, not believing what he heard. A year after his grand escape, Naruto had trust issues and enormous ones at that. He himself interacted with others well enough, but when it came to his son Naruto became absurdly vocal and paranoid.

The last time they went to see a doctor to give the one year old vaccination, Naruto almost killed the poor man just because he put a needle to his son's arm. Jiraiya explained the man his Godson had rabies but he doubted the doc believed him. Well, weirder shit happened.

Naruto was scowling, but he really couldn't fault his shishou's dramatic reaction. Jiraiya narrowed his eyes with suspicion about something juicy rising.

"What gave you the overdue enlightening?"

"...Kaka-sensei came yesterday and met Arashi for the first time."

"And?" The Toad Sage prodded with a nod. Naruto scowled harder but obliged.

"Arashi asked me what kind of ...toad ...Kakashi was. Kakashi apparently felt too fluffy."

"...fluffy."

"...yeah. He thought sensei's hair was fascinating and told me it felt like cotton candy."

"...Cotton candy."

"...yeah."

Jiraiya couldn't help himself. He felt to the ground howling a laughing fit of hysteria.

"COTTON CANDY! HAHAHAHAHAHA!"

The Toad Sage was laughing so hard he was crying. Jiraiya was one of the few who remembered Kakashi as the cocky little shit who was too smart for his own good. Sure, his lovely Icha Icha books helped the kid because honestly how wouldn't they, they were books written by him, but still. He could just imagine Kakashi's face as he got insulted by an one-year-old.

His blond protege got a twitch under his eye as he patiently waited his teacher's laughter to subdue.

"yeah, yeah. My furry tenant found it hilarious too. I could hear him grinning like a loon the whole night. Ouch, Kurama! Stop tele-biting me!"

Jiraiya watched with some fascination as his student spoke with himself for awhile. He of course knew Naruto was talking to the Kyuubi in his inner mind but that didn't make him look less insane. The Sannin couldn't decide if he should be honored or offended to have the same reaction with the Kyuubi. He knew that Naruto sort of developed a camaraderie with the tailed beast, but didn't really understand it. So he decided to do the next best thing; avoiding it as whole.

"Well, kid. It seems your brat does need some human interaction...So go and get him a babysitter! I'm busy!" Jiraiya yelled thinking his shouts would have the desired effect and the annoying brats would scram. Instead he had two blonds blinking at him with a blank look. The smaller one blew him raspberries. The Toad Sage thought this would be a good moment to slam the door. But Naruto was faster than he thought.

"The monthly you write, that's due to tomorrow right?"

"...yes?"

The blond let out an exasperated sigh.

"I'll write it for you. Take Arashi please?"

Jiraiya stopped dead, seriously weighing his options. At one hand he hated babysitting and although the newer Uzumaki or Namikaze or whatever was pretty cute, Jiraiya the Gallant had too much to do like peeping. On the other hand, the brat with the furry problem wouldn't stop bugging him and he was a decent ghostwriter. He had no talent writing his own stories but porn-writing he could do. And the short story Jiraiya promised his publisher _was_ due to tomorrow.

"I want Midori naked in a golden bathtub while Torako rubs her back with her tits. With big bouncy tits."

"...Fine. But then you have to feed Arashi vegetables and I mean real vegetables, not those cooked in ramen soup."

"...Fine."

The two men stood in all seriousness and made a pact in all ink and paper. At the end, Jiraiya the Toad Sage, lover of the fairer gender, was left in his hole with a bundle of blond joy in his arm.

* * *

"Jiji!"

"Yeah, yeah, kid."

"Rai-jiji!"

"Yup, that's me."

"Ero-baka!"

"...you know, you must be the youngest pottymouth I've ever seen. Where did you learn your manners?" shaking his head in disbelief, Jiraiya poked the baby's belly with his index finger. Arashi squealed all laughter, little brat showing his pseudo-grandfather his tiny teeth.

Jiraiya couldn't help but smile at the little tyke. He had been never the paternal type, growing up an orphan himself and not really knowing the function of a true family, but this blond bundle of giggles was a natural worming himself into the older man's heart. Probably got it from his father who also had the innate ability to make friends with the worst enemies possible.

The Toad Sage recalled an incident two weeks ago, in which they had encountered two nomadic tribes killing each other for the last 20 years. Naruto, the nosy imp, somehow got thrown into the mix; eight days later Jiraiya was invited as witness to a historical reunion between the two brother houses. He still had no fucking idea how the blond brat managed to do that.

"Your father is a trouble-magnet, did you know that?" The Sannin said, unconsciously cooing at the baby, "when he isn't trying to break his own head he always finds someone else who is willing to do it for him."

"Dadah!" the baby blond babbled, understanding approximately two words from the white giant's sentences. Jiraiya didn't really mind...nor care. He was busy staring after cute girls wiggling their hips from his hideout place. But when Arashi began to tug on his hair bang demanding attention the Toad Sage sighed dramatically before giving the baby a stern look.

"Kid, I will tell you the secret of life. Women, alcohol and money; can't live with them, can't live without them."

"Dada?" Arashi scrunched his tiny nose in confusion while the Toad Sage forced him to clap. The baby decided to like the sound of his tiny palms clashing and did it a few times until he could do it without looking too clumsy. Jiraiya gave the child a fond look and cocked his head.

"So, your father wanted me to spend some time with you eh? Well, I normally don't have time to watch over small brats like you but I guess I have no choice. Today we will work on your vocabulary." the white haired man declared and waited until his temporary protege relished his words. The little blond just blinked, making the older man sigh.

"Let's start with easy ones. Say... chick!"

"Chi!"

"Now 'hot chick'!"

"Ho! Chi!"

"Not bad, brat! Not bad!"

Arashi giggled at the praise.

At some point during his lecture, one part of Jiraiya's brain let out a timid question what would happen if Naruto ever found out about this lesson, but the bigger part of his gray mater carelessly dismissed the thought. It wasn't like his own student would try to kill him. Right?

"Can you say tits? Say tits!"

"Ti?"

"No, tits, gaki! Tits!"

...right?

The white haired giant gulped feeling a chill going down his spine. Maybe this wasn't a good idea after all...

"Aww, is he yours?"

Jiraiya jerked his head to the side, suddenly aware he had been surrounded by three young women. All three of them were either carrying a child on their hips or pushing a baby carriage. _MILFs!_ Jiraiya's brain cried.

He instantly erased the fuming Kyuubi vessel from his mind and put on his best 'I-am-Sannin' face.

"Why of course! He is in fact the son of my apprentice, but I volunteered to watch over him! Love the little gaki to bits!" Jiraiya made a point to his last comment by cooing at the confused looking toddler. He was sending the child telepathic messages to play along, and although neither was accepted nor comprehended the gentle soul of the kid did the trick.

"Apprentice? Are you a master of some sort?" asked a woman with dark blue hair curiously, and the Toad Sage immediately bristled up.

"A shinobi of the finest caliber, madame, lost on the road of life and yet glad to make acquaintance with such breathtaking beauties."

Jiraiya had honestly no idea where that shit came from but if the looks of the giggling women were any telling he was sure he had said the right thing. Finally! MILFs here I come!

"How old is the little lad?" a mother with orange locks asked, she had the best figure of all three. Petite, but yet with volume. The dark haired one had the best set of tits though, while the last one with short brown hair with green eyes was a real beauty.

Jiraiya felt it in his veins. He had hit a gold mine.

"12 proud months!" the older man said with confidence, although he wasn't quite sure, "what about your...uh...sibling?" he asked with a targeted ignorance. That worked splendidly. The woman in question blushed with good humor and shook her head.

"Oh no, this is my little daughter! Say hi to the little one Aiko-chan!"

"Hello, Aiko-chan, this is Arashi-kun!" Jiraiya played along, asking himself how long he had to play this facade until he could see some skin. He rarely had success in such speed before and to be honest this was very mind boggling.

Had it been really this easy? Was this how the blond brat always seemed to get the attention of girls lately? Jiraiya remembered how the 12 years old Naruto used to be rejected and shoved away by his female peers, well except that Hyuga girl of course, then recalled how the boy was now ogled like eye candy everywhere they went the moment he carried a little clone on his hip.

The Toad Sage stared down at the dark eyes of the babe he had under henge to cover the Byakugan. Could this be the golden ticket of all men's problems? A cute baby? Would Naruto be willing to make this some kind of loan arrangement? He was so willing to pay!

While the Toad Sage was brain-storming in the most primitive, perverted level of consciousness, the one with dark blue color moved closer gently ruffling the blond's mope of hair.

"Would you mind if I hold him? We all have daughters and I've never held a baby boy before."

"Sure!" Jiraiya automatically consented already convinced by her scent. To his credit, Arashi didn't really seem to mind the change of his human transporter, actually looking intrigued by the feminine presence.

"Oh, he is heavy!" the woman cooed with a warm smile, "you are a big one, aren't you sweetie? My, how handsome you are!"

Jiraiya gulped as he saw the boy pressed against an impressive mount of breasts, entranced and at the same time jealous of the attention the kid was receiving for being a kid. Then, Arashi did something that shot his brain into goo.

"Tits!"

Grab.

Silence followed.

"...He...he, uhm, never saw beautiful breasts like yours before!" Jiraiya blurted out, flinching at the incredulous stare at this remark. His mind started racing like wild horses seeking for an escape hole. "You see, his mother died in childbirth and his father has been raising him alone ever since. With my help of course," the Toad Sage added noticing the women's faces slowly beginning to soften, "but he never had a female touch in his short toddler life before. Never been breastfed you see. Always a plastic bottle with artificial formula. Sometimes I saw his father giving him the bottle while holding an old piece of the mother's cloth so the kid could pretend being held by his mother."

"Oh..." said the young mother with orange hair watching the blond baby as he held up the most innocent baby-face on earth, babbling gibberish adorably. The woman instantly fell in love.

_Darn, that brat is good_, thought Jiraiya with a hint of awe and envy, stealing glances at the puffy breasts the toddler was still kneading. The dark haired girl didn't seem to care instead began clicking her tongue playfully at the grabby imp, making said child giggle happily.

Jiraiya never, ever more had the desire to switch places with a toddler so strongly before.

While the Sannin leered at the perky breasts carefully pretending to stare at the brat instead, Arashi suddenly began to whimper. The small wail soon developed to a heartbreaking sob.

"Oh, what's wrong honey? Are you sleepy?" the young mother asked while her friend skillfully checked his diapers. The other friend who was holding her child tilted her head to the white haired man.

"Maybe he is hungry?"

_How should I know?_ The Sannin wanted to ask with a pout but kept his thoughts to himself not wanting to break his role yet. But then he had the most ingenious idea since inventing a S-class sealing sequence.

"My student forgot to give me the baby-bag today." he said, blaming Naruto for everything he didn't want to do and hoping for incentives. It was a lie of course, he knew there were some diapers in the storage seal Naruto had given him and probably some other baby stuff as well. But he wouldn't tell the ladies that, who were playing right into his well planned scenario...

"Really men," the dark haired mother rolled her eyes but not with real malice. She sighed staring down at the pitifully crying toddler who never had a loving mother to feed him... "That leaves no choice then, right sweetheart? Oh, don't worry, it's alright..."

The woman sat on a nearby bench, slowly pulling up her shirt, and Jiraiya yelled yes, yes, YES! inside his mind. His eyes were those of predators ready to absorb everything he would see in the next moment. This was the best day EVER! He loved babies, babies were the BEST! Jiraiya was doing a little victory dance inner side. He would cherish this moment forever... so get it already! The baby needs to get fed!

But then, he heard it.

"─Oi, Ero-Sennin!"

The sound of the ultimate cockblocker.

Jiraiya slowly turned his head, face looking torn between rage and shock.

The blond menace didn't seem to notice the pathetic wail of nonononoNO in his teacher's eyes. He just kept coming near them with a can of fucking baby milk in his hand. His world was crumbling into pieces.

Naruto huffed.

"Jeez, you are hard to find. I just remembered I forgot to pack the formula... ...Ero-sennin, why are you crying?"

Jiraiya knew the astound stares he was getting.

He didn't care. He hated brats. Hated them.


	7. The funeral

**The Funeral**

* * *

When people saw an Inuzuka, they always looked for two things: the dog and the human. When an Inuzuka mingled with their fellow human, they noticed far more than they were given credit for.

It was what made them excellent trackers and devoted hunter-nins even among the shrewd shinobi, and also very skilled basic character judges.

They relied heavily on their instincts, although unlike their more canine counterparts, the Inuzuka shinobi also had a use for their human qualities.

Which was exactly why Inuzuka Kiba, the 17-year-old Chuunin, was driving himself insane to sort out the confusion in his senses the last 5 days.

The source of this confusion was of course Uzumaki Naruto.

Naruto, the Dead-last academy friend, had grown over the years. He was big-shot now, saving the Kazekage from death and defeating that punk Pain, and Kiba was proud and jealous at the same time. But, hey, that's how frenemy-relationships worked, right? So no, that wasn't what bugged him. It was this weird scent on Naruto, his whole body language to be exact, that somehow screamed to Kiba's senses that _this_ was an Alpha-dog with a pack. Which made no sense because to have a pack, you needed family. Naruto, despite all the people who seemed to love him now, didn't have one.

His teammates were not really pack for the blond anymore, especially not that traitor Uchiha (nobody turned on pack!), besides, when Team 7 was a pack, no matter how dysfunctional, Naruto was more the omega-dog or just the irritating pup with Kakashi-sensei as the alpha.

No, it made more sense that Naruto somehow found another pack just for him. But why the hell was he smelling with a hint of Hyuga every time Kiba met him?! Did he steal Hinata's perfume or something?

Kiba, who had adored Hinata as one of his pack, had never forgotten her smell. And he knew, he just knew that something was up with the blond, and it had to do with Hinata.

5 days of utter confusion later, Kiba found out how right he was.

It was a cloudy day, fit for a funeral. They were all gathered at the cemetery behind the Hokage monument. Kiba had been here once when all Konoha 12 saw the body of Sandaime buried. Shikamaru had explained that this was where only the direct members of the Hokage families were buried, when they didn't have special clan cemeteries. Some kind of privilege law the Nidaime had made in his time, so the body of his brother wouldn't get mauled by the surviving members of their clan. Apparently they all wanted a piece of the Shodaime corpse as some kind of luck charm, because he had been the only one with the powerful Mokuton. Well, people were sometimes just creepy.

Anyhow when Asuma-sensei died, the council gave him a place next to the Sandaime and his wife, but Asuma-sensei apparently had wanted to be buried in the normal shinobi cemetery, no special treatment. A pity, because the whole graveyard was gone now. Destroyed by Pain's attack. They needed to make a new one with only names and no bodies. What a fucked up situation.

But that didn't really explain why they were burying Hinata here. He was appalled when the Hyuga announced Hinata wouldn't get a place at the Hyuga clan cemetery, just like 2 years ago when the fuck-heads didn't even allow her a funeral. But then they were all called to the Hokage-graveyard and fuck wasn't this all very confusing? He could see all the Konoha 12 were puzzled as hell, too, well except maybe Neji and that weird guy Sai, and fuck this if this was some kind of sick, sick joke─

It started raining, but nobody moved when Naruto came clothed in a black kimono and stood as the head mourner, which Hinata's father accepted without any reluctance. In fact, he even made a point of his consent by stepping a step behind the blond.

Naruto had an unreadable face, pale as paper. He just kept staring at the coffin now laid into the ground, next to the tombstone of Yondaime and his wife. He didn't cry, he didn't shout, he didn't even make a sound as if he was the one dead not the sweet girl in sleep surrounded by flowers. He kept rubbing his wrist a little tattoo of a red moon marking the skin.

The rain dropped from his blue eyes to his chin and slowly felt to the ground. Nobody dared to approach him and tell they had to move on because he looked so frozen, stopped in time. He just stood there caught between existence and nothingness.

That was when Kiba suddenly realized Naruto had loved Hinata.

Loved her so much, that when she stopped breathing, she took something from him, and he had readily given it to her. Naruto became Alpha because he had found his mate. His own family to protect and provide. But she was gone now, why did he still smell a bit like her? The scent was so similar to Hinata's yet different, with a hint of milk and taste like wind, as if-

"Mommy?"

A small voice was carried through the sound of rain.

Kiba's refined hearing caught on and at the right angle he saw a little baby boy hidden behind Naruto's leg. The kid was not easy to notice at first, his pitch-black kimono with a transluscent raincoat blended him to the shadows, but the more Kiba looked the boy got harder to miss. Especially his blond spiky hair standing out like the sun. His feature looked delicate because he was so small, and yet he was slowly captivating everyone's attention in this place. _Whiskermarks_, Kiba thought and felt his eyes grow large in shock, _the kid has whiskermarks on each side of his cheeks just like Naruto!_

"Daddy. Mommy?" the boy asked, tugging on the older blond's sleeve, oblivious to the fact that every shinobi was listening to his voice at the moment. Naruto looked startled for a moment but then he broke from his stupor and slowly ruffled the boy's blond mop of hair. He opened his lips and closed it again as if he had trouble talking. When he finally let out a sound it sounded more like a silent croak than his usual voice.

"...yes, Arashi. We are...we are giving Mommy a place to rest."

The boy seemed to contemplate it then tilted his head.

"Give Mommy kiss?" he asked innocently.

"N-no," the older blond forced out, as if he had a lump in his throat, "you can't give her a kiss now, little sun. She...she is very tired."

"...Um'kay."

With that the baby lifted his arms and when Naruto obliged, he snuggled closer to the older man feeling suddenly shy with all the people staring at him. Naruto just looked down at the ground seemingly lost, holding the child and unable to say anything.

It was Hyuga Hiashi who then gave a nod to his clansmen, to start sealing the grave.

Nothing mattered then, because this was farewell to a fallen comrade. There would be questions no doubt, but they could come later, nothing was more important than the respect the kunoichi deserved.

The coldness in the air was mixed with the sound of stifled tears, the wet scent of earth covering the coffin, the falling rain on skin and wood...

and the baby who started crying.

"-No! Mommy! No! Bad! Daddy!"

Everybody looked up to see the child squirming from his father's grip pointing desperately to the coffin. Kiba had never seen Naruto with such horrified face before. The blond held the boy tight to his chest, whispering in a soothing tone while his face looked stricken with panic and guilt.

"Shh...I'm so sorry, Arashi...Daddy's so, so sorry..."

"Bad! Bad! Mommy! No!"

Arashi cried in shock, pointing and telling his Daddy to save Mommy, because bad black men were making her go away. He didn't want her to go away. Daddy said she was tired, so she should take a nap, like Arashi did when he was sleepy and fussy, but they were covering her with dirt, and Arashi knew it was harder to wake up covered in dirt because some of his tadpole friends did it time to time and they never woke up again to play with Arashi...and then the bigger toads with sad eyes told him he had to say good-bye.

Arashi didn't like to say good-bye. He didn't want to say good-bye to Mommy because she was pretty and loved Arashi. Daddy said so. He wanted to play with her and give kisses and maybe big morning cuddles like his Daddy gave him. He wanted her to wake up and don't go back to heaven because his Mommy was a princess and she was the bestest. Why didn't Daddy just wake her up? Arashi always woke up from his naps, why couldn't she? Maybe she didn't love him like Daddy did. Maybe she had another baby boy in heaven? Did she love him more than Arashi and Daddy?

Naruto helplessly stared at his little baby wailing loudly he didn't want to say good-bye to his Mommy. He stared at those big eyes pouring out tears, those rosy cheeks with laughing dimples that reminded him so much of his Hinata. He wanted to give his child the world but Arashi wanted the one thing Naruto could never give him, and felt a part of his soul just shatter.

With a blank look to Kakashi Naruto shunshined away with his child.

He didn't come back until the funeral ended.

* * *

**"That went well," **said the red fox with the mask, sarcasm dripping from his voice. Naruto flinched, his face hidden behind his knees.

He went straight to Myobokusan from the graveyard and spent two hours just holding Arashi until the baby got too tired and fell asleep. When he told Shima what happened she gave him a sympathetic pat on the head. He threw up after.

Naruto had just wanted Hinata's son to be there, even if it was a funeral. He never expected his two-year-old to understand that they were burying his mother, who he had seen only once briefly, because Arashi asked him about her since he could talk and Naruto didn't have any photos of her. He didn't know what was worse. Running away from his wife's funeral and miss his chance to say farewell or being a horrible, piece of shit Dad.

He felt like a failure. Hell, he _was_ a failure.

Naruto left Arashi with the toads and a Kage Bunshin, and was sitting now on the Yondaime's stone head. It was his favorite place to think and he needed to think every time he had a panic attack. Kurama on the other hand just enjoyed to sit on his enemy's head and stomping on it.

**"Your brat has more brain cells than I thought," **the fox started again, **"who would have guessed a little snot like him actually knew the meaning of death?"**

"He doesn't," Naruto snapped, eyes fixed on anything else but the fox, "he can't know. He is just a baby."

**"That's what you unworthy mortals call denial of reality. The kit was conceived in a pit smelling like decaying flesh, he was born within the death of his mother to be coated with the blood of his enemies. Fitting to the life of your ninja is it not? You mortals with the metal hairband, everywhere you go there is always a trail of blood."**

"Like you are any better. You killed my parents in front of me, remember?" The blond snarled with anger flashing in his azure eyes, but the fox just snorted annoyed.

**"No, not really. If I could, I would replay it in my mind over and over again to cherish every moment. Alas, I'm waiting for yours. I hope it gets extra bloody and crunchy."**

"When I die, you die too. End of story."

The fox said nothing to that except giving a death glare, which didn't do anything to Naruto. He was used to it. So he just held on his wrist and trailed the red moon repeatedly, rocking himself into a soothing state. Kurama-clone growled irritated but didn't move away. They sat in silence. Naruto rubbed his bruised eye bags with his palms, letting out an exasperated sigh.

"I feel like I'm breaking. But I know I can't afford it. I mean with the rest of Akatsuki still wanting you flushed out of my system? Not to mention I've got enemies in Konoha too."

**"You are either prey or predator. That's how nature works."**

"...What do you think Madara will do next? Come back with more men?"

Naruto asked after awhile, and the fox noticed the abrupt change of subject but indulged it with a flash of one of his sharp canines.

**"He must have at least three of my kind, Ichibi, Sanbi and Rokubi. If what you heard about the maggots holding Yonbi and Gobi Jinchuuriki is true, he probably decapitated them too. Which leaves the Nibi, Nanabi, Hachibi and the greatest of all, me."**

"...Fuck. I can't believe we actually met the Rokubi Jinchuuriki and didn't even recognize him. I mean one word would have been enough but no, instead we end up finding his corpse soaked with residue Youki. What a fucked up world. Why didn't you recognize him Kurama? Shouldn't you be able to do that? The greatest of bijuu my ass, you are useless."

**"USELESS?! USELESS?!"**

"OUCH! Don't bite me you masked furball!"

The fox and the human fought, ending up breaking two spikes of the Yondaime's hair. Naruto, aghast, tried to glue it together until Kurama tail-slapped it and pulverized the stone. The blond immediately gave up. His father was dead, it didn't matter if his monument had hair or not.

"What do you know about the bijuu left? The Nibi and Hachibi are in Kumo right?"

**"I don't know about the Nibi, but the maggot holding Gyuki was in good accord with my brother. I saw them fight when I was sealed in Uzumaki Kushina. The worm could transform into partial bijuu-mode without losing his mind."**

"...Well, I can use four tails. That's pretty awesome too."

The fox just stared at his human, telling him "What an idiot" through telepathy, and weird enough Naruto could nearly hear it. He scowled offended.

"When you play nice I can even do six tails!"

**"And that's your limit because you are stupid."**

"Only because you are too stubborn to be any help!"

**"I refuse to be handled like a candy automat who gives out sweets everytime you ask for it!"**

"...I could grovel?"

**"I don't care."**

That led to another silence. Naruto abruptly slumped back exhausted. Training a whole day he could stomach but emotional stress always ate at him. He rubbed his red-rimmed eyes once more and let out a loud sigh. He desperately needed to think about something else and wasn't it just his luck that he had a dozen things to think about in order to guarantee his survival in the next 5 years?

"Konan told me before she left with Pain and orange dude's body that the Akatsuki were planning to wreck havoc in the elemental countries. Not just the little quarrels we came across while travelling with Ero-sennin. They are aiming for big and Konoha was meant to be the start. I mean they were pretty low-key for a bunch of S-ranked criminals, hunting down only Jinchuuriki who were already missing or outside of their village. Gaara was actually the first they engaged in open fight."

**"And they did a good job, too."**

Kurama nodded immediately much to the annoyance of the blond.

"Hey! I stopped them before anything irreversible happened! Like Gaara dying and people exploding like firecrackers!"

**"Idiot! That was never their primary target! They wanted the Ichibi and now they have it!"**

Naruto scowled while swatting the fox's tail away. Kurama didn't give up and paw-punched the Jinchuuriki in the gut. Stuck in a modified shadow clone the demon fox couldn't do any lethal attacks on its summoner but harmless corporal banter was within the limits. Kurama abused the loophole shamelessly.

"...Anyway, Konan also told me something about an ancient weapon that can be activated when you have the powers of all bijuu. Apparently they don't plan to make new Jinchuuriki like we assumed at the first but that super powerful bijuu weapon. Do you know something about it?"

**"Well, in the human standards you are a weapon too."**

"Yeah, yeah. But I mean...You alone are this massive glob of Chakra and I know the Ichibi was too 'cause he made Gaara already a Kage-level Chakra tank by the age of twelve. If there are all nine of you together..."

**"We would not only have the power to get rid of the pest of you sophisticated apes, but blow up the whole world."**

"...Yup. That was what I was afraid of."

Naruto frowned ignoring the fear in his heart and concentrating on the anger instead.

What the fuck was wrong with this Madara-dude? Wasn't he supposed to be what at least a hundred years now? That man was ancient for Kami's sake and he's been ruining Naruto's life literally since birth. Sometimes Naruto couldn't decide if it would be wrong to blame Uchiha Madara for everything that went downhill in his life. Probably not.

"I spent 374 days in that Hell thinking how nice outside would be and now that I am finally out, the world is four bijuu captures away from meeting its end?"

**"That summarizes it."**

"How is that fair?"

**"What's got **_**fair**_ **to do with your life?"**

"...Okay, good point."

Naruto hated it when the Kyuubi was right because most times it was downright morbid; but the worst part was the Kyuubi was more often right than wrong. If Nagato hadn't killed Jiraiya, the most important adult in Naruto's life, sometimes he thought he could have actually bonded with that man's ideas. But then the world really didn't deserve more pain, it was already a pain in the ass to its residents with something worse just lurking behind the next corner. Most people just didn't know it yet.

Naruto missed the days when he thought becoming Hokage was his number one priority. Now that he was powerful enough to actively aim for the title, it had become the last thing in his mind. So much for dreams coming true.

"...Hey, Kurama?"

**"What?"**

"Do you think Arashi will remember today and hate me forever?"

Naruto asked quietly, and felt the fox staring at him with an unreadable gaze through its mask.

**"...You can always let me eat him when he gets too annoying." **Kurama said in all earnestness, which immediately sobered the blond up before he could start brooding in sorrow.

"...Wow, that's absolutely not happening. I like my baby healthy and alive."

**"Then stop whining."**

"I will...and we've got company."

The last sentence didn't even finish, a tall figure stood next to him. Naruto felt Kurama vanish with a pop. He lifted his gaze to meet the white eyes of Hyuga Neji.

"...You left." the Hyuga said.

"I ran." Naruto nodded.

When his new brother-in-law refrained to make further comments Naruto sighed and rubbed his tired face.

"Are you going to punch me again? For not only defiling your innocent sister but also for being the absolute loser husband?" the blond asked not really angry at the blow he had received yesterday, although he had expected it from Hiashi rather than Neji. He had conveniently forgotten that Neji became some sort of protective older brother to Hinata after the Chuunin Exams, and that was not considering his official clan status as protector of the heiress. In Neji's mind Hinata must have been still the shy, blushing girl, innocent as a doe, not the strong, beautiful woman Naruto knew and loved. It certainly explained the killer-intent he leaked yesterday until little Arashi stared at the young Hyuga with wide eyes. That was all it took to bring Neji back to his senses.

Hanabi, on the other hand, was shocked as well but didn't resort for immediate violence. Instead she fell in love with her new nephew, holding him like a teddy-bear. Arashi with his natural cuteness was used to such antics and indulged the cuddling like a champion. Certified women-magnet, Naruto thought ruefully, hoping his son would at least be spared from fangirls. They must be quite brain damaging if Uchiha Sasuke was any proof.

Naruto soon disregarded all of his mingling thoughts and concentrated on the presence next to him. He cocked an eyebrow just to spite.

"Well?"

Neji just stared at him without giving proper reaction. Then, the brunette sighed.

"Naruto. I understand why you left. Although I didn't know you would bring him to the funeral."

At that Naruto shrugged defensively, his gaze falling to the scenery of the village. It still looked like a dump, but it was rebuilding. With the help of carpenters from Wave country and the well organized usage of elemental jutsus here and there, the progress was gaining admirable speed.

"I had him in mild henge. Is supposed to work like Genjutsu but then Arashi got excited and the cover broke."

"I see." was all Neji said to Naruto's excuse. Since the blond Jinchuuriki had planned to make his marriage to Hinata and Arashi's existence public soon anyway, it wasn't like some kind of grand plan had been compromised. In fact, the prepared announcement had little difference from the happening at the funeral, although to be fair, there was significantly less surprise factor involved. Naruto could already feel the gossip-wheel starting to spin.

At this point however, he really couldn't give a damn.

"...When my father died I was four. He came to say good-bye, but by then I didn't understand," suddenly Neji said, in a soft tone Naruto never expected to hear from usually composed Hyuga. If he noticed the blond's silent wonder Neji didn't give any indication. Instead he moved on. "It was months later until I finally realized my father would never come back. At that point my mother was already broken, she despised the Main House and blamed everything on Hinata-sama. She was the one who told me what exactly happened to father."

"...Your mother, is she still alive?"

Naruto asked because Hinata had never said anything about Neji's mother. She didn't know much about Hyuga Hizashi, her uncle, neither, but held him in high regard because he was the one who saved the village from another war. She liked the idea of thinking him as a hero rather than a human sacrifice.

But this was the first time ever Naruto heard anything about Neji's maternal parent.

"No. She died a year later after my father. She was only a Branch member because of her older sister, 2 years difference in birth was what separated her from being the wife of clan head and Main House. Just like minutes fated my father to become the servant of his twin. Even in her deathbed she held a lot of anger close to her heart, not unjustified, but also very dark. That anger was what broke her eventually."

Naruto simply nodded because he understood. Hell, he didn't just understand he actually lived through it! After he eavesdropped a conversation between Jiraiya and Tsunade about possible hide-outs of the rest of the bastards, he ran to said location and unleashed the Kyuubi. It took his mother's Chakra embedded in the seal to calm him down but that was not before he single-handedly wiped out an entire hive of those monsters. More than 50 men in one day, not including the hundred captives Naruto had killed to end their painful misery. Three months later his revenge was done and he began to wander with excessive amount of drugs flowing through his veins. It took him another five months and a lot of beatings to come out of his shell shocked state.

No need to say that in the first eight months his son didn't get to see his father a lot. Had it been similar to Neji with his mother?

"How are you going to explain Hinata-sama's death to your child?"

Naruto slowly rubbed his wrist, not looking at his brother-in-law but far, far away.

He understood now where Neji was going with his confession. But he didn't know if he knew the words to ensure the older Hyuga that he would do the right thing. What was the _right_ thing anyway? Was there a correct answer at all?

"...I'm not going to tell Arashi what happened to Hinata if that's what you are worried about. Not...Never the details at least. I already avenged her by killing her torturers, so it should bring rest on her soul..."

"But was that enough for _you_?" Neji pressed, "Can you truly bury your hatred? Given the chance, will you not run to kill the rest of them at first sight?"

Naruto clenched his teeth, unable to reply. But Neji wouldn't take a prolonged silence as an answer.

"I've seen the files you and Jiraiya-sama recovered. I know of the men you killed and I know there were leads the Hokage ordered you not to pursue. Are you willing to follow her orders? Are you ready to forgive and let it rest?"

"What does it have to do with forgiveness?" Naruto asked, his face in bitter grimace. He felt a flinch in his fist and clenched it until the skin broke. That didn't matter though.

He still had nightmares from his first and most brutal murders, although he knew he had every right to take revenge, sometimes he saw his hands and needed to clean them, over and over again. The Kyuubi thought it as a sign of weakness, Jiraiya though ensured him it was just how most human were wired. Morals and regrets, the difference between a puppet and human.

It didn't help that he could still see the faces of the innocent human experiments, who thanked him with a smile as he slit their throats.

_Are you an angel?_ a girl had asked, not much older than him, limbs rotting away and cancer growing out of her skull and right side of her body. She had vibrant red hair and told him she was an Uzumaki descendant who lived in Stone Country before the abduction, and her cellmate was another one from Rice. She traded her death with information about the 'Project' and died with a peaceful smile. After Naruto got his hands on the hidden scrolls, he realized for the first time that there was more in these facilities than simply met the eye. Stuff that he, as a 15-year-old traumatized nobody, couldn't comprehend. No battle was worse than encountering an enemy without a face. Or, as it turned out, too many faces.

...Bastards, all of them.

"I always tell him the good stuff, like how much she loved him and how she used to talk to him when he was still in her belly...not what they did to us. He doesn't need to know, I won't raise an avenger who forgets there are other things than revenge and bitterness in life."

...and he would keep telling his baby of the better things, although there were always enemies under the name of family and home, and life rarely went either all black or white. Naruto hoped that when Arashi came to the same abhorrent realization, he would be there to tell his son in spite of all that, there was still good in this world. Until then, he would do anything to keep his little family safe.

Neji seemed to acknowledge the firm determination behind the blond's words and nodded with understanding. Both men thought about a former comrade who decided to devote his life to a dark path without the promise of ever coming back. Neji could see in Naruto's eyes that he would never let that happen to his own child. Naruto had been always a man with low self worth and lack of concern of his own well-being, resulting in his martyr tendency. All darkness that had bloomed in his chest, this man would swallow it like all the other burdens in his life and carry it to his grave. He wouldn't let a sapling of it be planted to his precious people's hearts.

Neji let out a sigh he had been unconsciously holding. Then he asked the Jinchuuriki the second question he needed to inquire.

"Naruto, are you planning to join the forces right away?"

"...Huh?"

The blond, who had been expecting more questions about Hinata or Arashi, blinked in confusion then scratched his head with a shrug.

"Well, it's not like I have a choice right? There aren't many dead but still, with the village wrecked like this? We will need manpower to take more missions and cover the finances. No way I can take a leave just because I'd like to."

"But you don't have a team."

"...I don't?" Naruto asked, more confusion cleary visible on his face. Neji sighed again, but not really patronizing. This was familiar ground. He was used to this side of Naruto.

"The Uchiha is a traitor, Haruno Sakura is working at the hospital as Chuunin medic and your Jounin teacher might become our next Hokage. As Genin you are required to work as a four-men squad, which you currently lack."

"...And I probably need two Genin members to participate the next Chuunin exams huh?"

"Correct."

The blond made a face as he couldn't decide whether to laugh or to cry. Neji didn't miss the chance.

"But there is another way."

Naruto cocked an eye brow, not hiding his mild interest.

"Yeah? Like what?"

"Join the ANBU."

...That was certainly not something the blond Jinchuuriki had ever expected to hear.

* * *

A/N:Something is wrong with my netbook and it's driving me nuts. Whenever I open my Word it just keeps scrolling down down down...I couldn't write one word! Problem is I still have no idea what's causing it. Some say it's the touchpad some the keyboard...maybe it's a virus my antivir engine can't find. ...sigh.

So please understand if the next update takes longer than usual. Thanks!


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